


Road to Recovery

by 03SilverBlaze



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, LeviHan Week, levihan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:22:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 46,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23570779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/03SilverBlaze/pseuds/03SilverBlaze
Summary: After suffering the devastating blow in Shiganshina, the Survey Corps survivors cope with the loss and do the best they can to move on. New Commander Hanji Zoe and Captain Levi find solace in one another, being each other's support during this difficult time. The sequel to my very first ever Shingeki No Kyojin fanfiction, this story is mostly a Levihan-centric POV of the events immediately following the Return to Shiganshina Arc.
Relationships: Hange Zoë & Levi, Hange Zoë/Levi, Hanji Zoe & Levi Ackerman, Hanji zoe/levi ackerman
Comments: 12
Kudos: 119
Collections: Levihan Week





	1. Return from Shiganshina

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Calm Before the Storm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16229195) by [03SilverBlaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/03SilverBlaze/pseuds/03SilverBlaze). 



> Hello, and welcome to the sequel of my very first Levihan Fanfic. It took a couple of years, and I really hope you enjoy the story just as much as its predecessor. Constructive criticism is always welcome! Like my previous story, majority of the content is Rated T due to language. However, there are some scenes in these chapters that are geared towards a mature audience due to the sexual situations and language.  
> Levihan is still my OTP and I hope my writing can do the ship justice. I try to stay in character as much as possible but tend to veer off as my fantasies tend to mix in, sometimes a bit forcefully. Just a note before I conclude that there are some lengthy scenes that are written in italicized font. A reminder that when you see that, it's usually a dream, memory, or daydream scene when you see that. Hope that prevents some confusion. Now, without further ado, please enjoy: Road to Recovery

An uproar of cheers and applause erupted from the crowd of citizens below. Calls of gratitude and admiration were bestowed upon the returning members of the Survey Corps as they looked solemnly down at the people. Levi stood amongst his soldiers, glaring down numbly at the noisy citizens while paper confetti swirled in the air in celebration of their success and return. Majority of the noise became muffled as Levi shifted his attention towards what remained of the Survey Corps. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, and Connie. Plus that other snively brat, Floch. Levi counted them off in silent disbelief. Never had he observed such a loss. To be able to count off the survivors on his two hands was inconceivable. All of those remaining faces were a mixture of relief, joy, shock, etc. Although revelled as heroes, Levi wasn't sure if their surviving soldiers fully grasped their situation. 

A soft laugh and the movement of an arm waving had directed Levi's attention to the other remaining soldier. Hanji, now Survey Corps Commander Hanji, stood tall with the newly found books clutched in one arm. Her other arm waved at the people below. Levi's eyes crept upwards to notice a smile on her face. How can she smile at a time like this? Levi wondered with an air of disdain. However, his eyes locked on her bandaged eye and immediately softened. He must've stared longer than intended because after a few moments, he realized that Hanji had caught him and was now giving him a look of concern. Levi quickly averted his gaze. 

_What a shame_ , Levi reflected with a knot of regret. _Her eyes were stunning..._ Levi shook his head of those words. No, it didn't matter to him. Hanji was Hanji, regardless if she had both eyes or not. It didn't change his feelings for her. Levi quickly stole another glance. Hanji was again smiling at the crowd. He frowned, recalling the events prior to their arrival to Wall Rose. 

_Levi had just finished washing his face in the bathroom. As he was drying off with a towel, he glanced at the mirror before him to check if all the dirt and blood had washed off. Behind his reflection stood Hanji in the doorway. Her face was solemn. "You ready?" she asked._

_"Aah," Levi answered, turning to face her. She turned around and began to walk. He followed her out of the room, passing Erwin's body that had been laid to rest on the bed of one of the rooms of the abandoned home they were currently in. He and Hanji had said their Goodbyes just a few moments ago but now needed to return to the 104th, who were waiting for them._

_As they approached the window, Levi placed a tentative hand on Hanji's shoulder. She paused before being able to squeeze the trigger of her ODM gear and regarded Levi. "Are you sure you're able to maneuver?" Levi asked, observing her carefully._

_"I've been through broken glasses and poor vision before," Hanji replied, slightly defensively. "What's one eye?"_

_Levi continued to stare softly at Hanji. He had a feeling of what could have happened to Hanji's eye and what that meant to her. However, he didn't have the courage to ask her just yet. Ever since they reunited, they've had their hands full and haven't been able to catch up with one_ _another nor express their relief in knowing each other had survived the recent bloodbath._

_"Not even Commander for a day," Hanji grumbled to herself absentmindedly, "and I already lost an-" Hanji paused as Levi lifted his hand to caress the bandaged area of her face._

_"Hanji..." he offered sympathetically, his steel eyes burning into hers. How much he wanted to kiss her bandaged eye and remind her that he was there for her..._

_Hanji stiffened before inhaling sharply through her nose. She shifted slightly to the side, ducking out of Levi's touch. "Check on Armin," she ordered dismissively. "I'm going to search for survivors. Send everyone else to do the same." Hanji launched her ODM lines before Levi had the chance to answer._

Levi shook his head at the memory. They all had finally arrived at Survey Corps headquarters. The kids were exhausted, as was he. He glanced up at Hanji, clutching the books excitedly in her hand. He knew she was eager to get to the books so he softly murmured to her, "I'll handle those two brats' punishment. So you can get reading."

"Thanks," Hanji whispered, gripping the books in her arms and turning to make her way to her room.

"Oi!" he called, miffed at her abruptness. "Make sure you bathe!" Levi turned and observed the others. "That goes for all of you," he declared. He cast a stern countenance towards Mikasa and Eren. "When you're finished, head down to the underground cells."

"Understood," they muttered, lowering their heads in shame. 

* * *

Levi breathed out a sigh of content. Freshly bathed and changed, he strode down the barren halls of the eerily quiet barracks. A solemn thought hit him regarding all the rooms that would have to be sorted through eventually. All of the perished soldiers' belongings would have to be sent to their respective surviving families, something he was not looking forward to doing. As he made his way down the corridors, he purposely turned towards Hanji's room. _How that woman can smile and laugh,_ Levi wondered incredulously. _Maybe it'll rub off onto me if I visit her,_ Levi thought with a skeptic twist of his lips as he approached her room. The door was open so Levi stepped inside. Two of the retrieved books were on her desk. But Hanji was nowhere to be found. Levi knew it was a long shot, but he entered her bathroom in hopes that she was in the tub. As he figured, Hanji wasn't in there either. Levi paused for a moment and figured he would check the other areas she was commonly found in. 

Just a few doors down, Hanji perused some books within a large bookshelf, all the while muttering to herself. With a cry of frustration from having checked for the second time to no avail, Hanji tore away from the bookshelf and knocked into the nearby desk, causing two large notebooks to fall to the floor. 

Hanji recognized both books instantly. At the same moment, she recalled where exactly she was. During her reading session in her room earlier, Hanji had realized that in one of her notebooks that she had left with Moblit, she had written down some comparable information. Blindly, she had entered Moblit's room and ferociously searched for her notebook. Now, she stood in the middle of Moblit's room, fully aware of the emptiness it held, while staring at her lost notebook. 

She picked it up, along with the other fallen book and placed them both atop the desk. Curiously and carefully, she picked up the other notebook and opened it. With a bittersweet smile, she opened it to reveal one of Moblit's many sketchbooks. As she flipped through the pages, she recognized most of the sketches, as she was present when the drawings took place. From flowers, to her boundless experiments and science specimens, Hanji recalled all of them fondly. A random memory played through her mind.

_"Are you getting this Moblit?!" Hanji cried maniacally, prying open the gash she had just created in the captured Titan's stomach. Blood was pouring out and steam was rising out of the wound._

_"Yes Buntaicho!" Moblit cried, scribbling furiously in his notebook the best he could as he held it in his hand._

_"Ouch!" she cried. "That hurts!! Hurry up! This is getting hot!"_

_"Hanji san, you really shouldn't be getting that close!" Moblit warned, all the while scribbling diligently._

_"Hah?" Hanji argued. "What do you mean? How else are we going to study the Titan's inner workings?"_

Hanji chuckled to herself of the memory as she passed that particular sketch of the dissected Titan. As she neared the end, Hanji paused in surprise. Her hand traced over the sketch lines of a very familiar face. From the messy hair, the long nose, and the glasses, Moblit had drawn Hanji's face down to the most intimate detail. Hanji slowly began to turn the other pages to reveal more and more sketches of herself. There were varying pictures of her bent over her desk sleeping over a pile of notes, a sketch of her laughing jovially, and other sketches of her looking off into the distance, deep in thought over something. 

Hanji covered her mouth shakily with a smile. Hot tears began to stream down her face as her fingers delicately traced the lines of her candid portraits. She allowed herself a moment to quietly sob and mourn her dedicated assistant and friend. 

"Oi," Levi called, standing in the doorway. Hanji jumped and turned to face him. "Here you are," Levi muttered, entering slowly and stopping a few feet from her. 

"Levi," Hanji greeted softly, using her arm to quickly wipe away her tears. Levi noticed immediately and his eyes widened in surprise. He began to step towards her in concern. "I'm fine, I'm fine," Hanji protested, putting an arm out to stop his approach. "Sorry," she sniffed. "I...I was just looking for one of my books I had left here and...became emotional."

"Hanji," Levi uttered quietly, searching his mind for the words to say. This was definitely not his forte. He was never good with words. Both he and Hanji knew he was more of a physical being. And ever since their mission to Shiganshina, he had been starving for her touch. He stepped towards her again but stopped. With a sniff, he realized that Hanji had not yet bathed like he had asked her to do. With an exasperated sigh, he grumbled, "You...need to bathe."

"Eh?" Hanji uttered, confused on Levi's switch in direction. One moment he was attempting to display compassion and the next he was back to his stern self. 

"I could smell you from a few rooms down," he complained, his stoic stare attempting to get his point across. 

"I don't have time for that!" Hanji protested, throwing her arms in the air. "I still have to finish the books we found!"

"You're disgusting!" Levi cried. "As the new commander, you need to start taking better care of yourself." His arms folded in frustration.

"As the new commander, I need to grasp this new information for humanity!" Hanji argued, hands on her hips. 

Levi was humorously reminded of that being something Erwin would have said. However, Levi closed his eyes to compose himself. He reopened them and glared at Hanji. "Hanji, bath!" he ordered.

"No," Hanji replied firmly, taking a challenging step towards Levi. He stood his ground and continued to glare up at her. He looked from her good eye to her injured one and gulped quietly. Hanji could tell he was about to give in as his eyes displayed exhaustion and were practically pleading with hers. She found his grey blue, piercing eyes endearing and gave a half smile. She hung her head and sighed, defeated. "Fine," she finally agreed. "Draw one for me and I'll go."

"Tch," Levi hissed, uncrossing his arms. "A small price to pay for your cleanliness."

"I'll see you in a bit then," Hanji stated, placing a hand on his shoulder before bounding out of the room, notebook in hand. 

Levi watched her leave before exhaling and turning back around to face Moblit's desk. He spotted the open notebook on top of it and curiously approached, knowing Hanji was looking at it prior to his interruption. Levi delicately gripped the corner of the pages and flipped through to see the multiple sketches of Hanji. He felt a tightness in his chest. Not from jealousy, but from sympathy. Levi knew Moblit was a great soldier. He was excellent in the field and took great care of Hanji. He knew that it was Moblit's duty, as he had once told Levi long ago. But Levi had also asked him personally to look after her since Levi couldn't always be around to do it himself. 

"Don't worry," Levi affirmed, barely audible, closing the notebook. "You did your best to the very end. Now it's my turn to look after her." He stood still for a moment, his head bowed as a sign of respect. He gave a moment of silence before turning and walking out the door. 

Levi made his way back towards Hanji's room with some of his own personal bottles of scented oil and soap. He knew she would have only the bare essentials in her bathroom, which wouldn't be enough in Levi's opinion. As he stepped through Hanji's partially opened door, he spotted her hunched over her desk, consumed by one of the books again. Levi made his way over to her bathroom and began drawing a warm bath for her, pouring enough scented oil inside to fill the room with a pleasant flowery fragrance.

It took a few minutes for the bath to be filled up. Levi turned off the water and called Hanji's name. There was no response. Levi exhaled and approached the doorway between the bathroom and her room. "Hanji," he called again, more firmly. He watched as she didn't even stir, one arm propped up on her desk, her fist supporting her head. If it weren't for the pressing matter of her hygiene, Levi could actually watch her just like this. Seeing her completely engrossed in something was something Levi actually enjoyed to watch. It gave him peace and he found himself appreciating her beauty and charm every time. Just not now. Levi grumbled and walked over to her, approaching from behind.

He grabbed the book and pulled it away, startling her. "Hey!" she cried, looking up and behind her. "What do you-"

Her voice was halted as she noticed Levi coming in for a kiss from above. She immediately put her hand out to stop him. He gave a grunt of frustration as his lips met her open palm, but didn't question her. "Bath," he ordered, concealing his rejection as he pulled away from her. Hanji's mouth opened to protest but Levi already knew what she was going to say. "And no, you're not taking the book with you."

"But I have to finish it in order to give a full report!" she argued. 

"Are we going to meet with our superiors tomorrow?" Levi asked calmly, book still in his hand. He held it out of reach even though he knew Hanji had the height advantage, especially if she decided to stand up from her desk chair. 

"No," answered Hanji quickly.

"Are we meeting with them this week?" Levi asked afterwards, not giving her a chance to say anything else.

"No, but-" Hanji continued to protest.

"Hanji," Levi interrupted firmly. He opened the book to the page she was on and dog-eared the corner. He noted how much more she had to read before finishing the book. "In the past few hours that we've returned, you've already almost finished 2 of the 3 books." He tapped the now closed book lightly on the top of her head, causing her to wince. "You have plenty of time to finish all of them before our meeting with Historia and the brass." He walked around Hanji's desk and placed the book back to join its friends. He delicately took one of Hanji's hands in his and lifted it to his lips, placing a soft peck. His eyes held Hanji's tenderly, pleased with the fact she allowed him to grant that gesture of affection. 

Hanji huffed, but a small smile crept over her lips as she gently pulled her hand away to push herself up and away from her desk. "Ok, you win." she said, putting her hands up in the air in surrender. 

"If the water is cold, it's your own damn fault." Levi griped as he looked over his shoulder to watch her enter the bathroom. Once she disappeared behind the door and closed it, Levi's lips curved upwards in satisfaction. He left her room and closed the door behind him as he made his way towards the underground cells. "Now to handle the other matter."


	2. An Empty Barracks

About half an hour had passed as Hanji was soaking in the tub, enjoying the warm water and the aroma of the scented oil Levi had poured in. A knock came to her bathroom door before Levi's voice announced himself. He grabbed a nearby chair and carried it to the edge of the tub just behind Hanji's head. 

"Did you wash your hair?" Levi asked.

"You know I save that part for you," Hanji teased, looking upwards at him. 

Levi sat down on the chair and began to roll up his sleeves. "Lazy ass woman."

"Don't act like you don't enjoy it," Hanji jabbed at him. 

Levi ignored her comment with a 'humph' and began to pour some of the shampoo in his hands to lather. As he ran his fingers through Hanji's hair, he silently admitted that she was right. He never said it, but Hanji had a way of knowing things without being openly told. That's what made them a good pair. For Levi's lack of skill in the verbal department, Hanji was there to interpret him like one of her many books. Without her around to help explain his rough way of speaking, many soldiers would have been put off or confused by him. 

Levi listened to Hanji's hums of content as he massaged her scalp and combed his fingers through her chestnut hair. "Did you clean the wound on your eye?"

"Um hmm," Hanji hummed.

"Did...you get that from that large explosion?" Levi asked with caution.

She nodded slightly. "Was that," Levi hesitated, formulating the words in his head. "Was that when you lost Moblit?" Levi asked carefully. 

"Aah," she replied quietly, remembering the moment she last saw him. "Moblit pushed me to safety just in time."

"I see," Levi murmured, not knowing what else to say. "He looked out for you to the very end."

"He did always make it his priority to take care of me," Hanji admitted with a soft chuckle.

"I'll make sure it wasn't in vain," Levi whispered softly. "I'll look after you."

"Levi," Hanji breathed in surprise.

"And speaking of taking care," Levi added, clearing his throat. "You need to keep up a more cleanlier appearance now."

"What do you mean?" Hanji asked, confused. She looked upwards towards Levi.

"Your hair, for example," Levi replied, grabbing a nearby pitcher and pouring some of the bathwater over her hair to rinse it off. He used one of his hands to shield the soap from running into her eyes. "Aside from keeping it clean, you should make more of an effort in keeping it neat and tidy."

"Haa," Hanji sighed heavily, looking back down. "Even more stuff I'm not looking forward to doing."

"It's your duty," Levi reminded her, continuing to rinse off her hair. 

"Erwin was better suited for that," Hanji grumbled. "I guess I have you to thank for this mess." A THUNK followed by the sound of water splashing on the tile floor startled Hanji. She looked up at Levi, who had dropped the pitcher of water. He sat frozen for a moment, looking down at the ground, eyes opened in shock. Hanji then realized the severity of her words. But before she had a chance to say anything, Levi's chair skidded backwards with a screech and he stalked out of the room. 

* * *

Night had fallen and a chilly breeze was blowing through the large windows in Erwin's old office. Levi went over to shut the windows firmly before turning back to the piles of belongings he was sorting through. On Erwin's old desk sat a stack of clothes, some personal trinkets of his, and some books. They sat next to an open box ready to be filled. Levi had intended to fill the box with Erwin's old personal things and store it in the archive/records room in the barracks. Erwin had no known family or next of kin so the items would be thrown into the trash otherwise. 

Near the bookshelf, there were some bags filled with what Levi considered trash. Useless notes scribbled on pieces of paper, wrappers, and other things that were not of any sentimental value were stuffed in the bags awaiting to be disposed of. Levi continued to sort through the drawers of Erwin's desk, feeling somewhat invasive. However, he knew he had to prepare the office for Hanji's eventual occupation.  _ She probably will put up a fight about this _ , Levi thought with a cringe.  _ But it needs to get done _ . 

Levi's hands came across something soft, like that of a fabric. He reached deeper into the topmost drawer and pulled out a dusty tie. Levi shook it off in disgust. He was about to toss it to the trash pile when he recalled where he had seen the filthy thing before. Now that the dust had cleared, he saw that it was that of a navy blue color. But this wasn't just some ordinary tie. Fastened to it through crude stitching were two patches of characters made to look like Titans. 

"I remember this," Levi whispered as a memory flashed before his eyes.

**-2 years before the fall of Wall Maria-**

_ Levi was walking past the hall of bedrooms in the barracks, looking for Erwin who was not in his office. Levi had a few questions to ask him regarding the upcoming supply request. Levi had put in a request for black tea over a month ago and they were now approaching the end of their rations.  _

_ Passing by Hanji's room, he could hear her grunting from inside. Levi paused as he passed by and took a few steps backwards to peer into her room in concern. As he looked inside, Hanji was doing her best to zip up the back of the outfit she was wearing. Squinting, Levi tried to decipher what exactly she was wearing.  _ Was it a dress?

_ Hanji turned her head around to spot Levi. "Oh Levi!" she cried in surprise. _

_ Levi immediately stiffened before looking away and apologizing. "S-sorry," he stammered. "I heard you making these stupid noises...I'll be on my way!" He darted away as Hanji cried out to him. _

_ "Levi wait!" she called. "I need your help! Come back!" _

_ A few seconds had passed before Levi stuck his head back in the open doorway. "Yeah?" he asked, feeling shy. _

_ "I can't seem to zip this darned thing up!" Hanji growled, still trying to tug on the zipper from behind. Levi cautiously approached Hanji, who had her back to him. He locked eyes with Hanji nervously as she watched him with her head turned, lifting her hair up so he had easier access to the zipper. Levi's fingers shook slightly as he gripped the end of the zipper, trying his best not to brush the bare skin of her back. He zipped it up quickly and Hanji let out a sigh of relief.  _

_ "Ah!" she exhaled. "Thanks so much!" She spun around and Levi got a good view of Hanji wearing a navy blue dress.  _

_ "Are you wearing a..." Levi began. _

_ "Dress?" Hanji finished, flushing a bit. "Yeah, I know it's weird." _

_ Levi stared at Hanji like an idiot. He had never seen her wear a dress before. It wasn't even that revealing. It was more of a dress worn by military women so it was very conservative aside from her exposed arms. Her legs were only exposed from the knees down. However, he couldn't deny that she looked different...and very nice. He cleared his throat as he made eye contact with her.  _

_ "What's with the dress? Why are you wearing it?" _

_ "Oh," tsked Hanji, making an irked expression. "Erwin." _

_ "Ah?" Levi asked with a look of confusion, his jaw practically dropping to the floor.  _

_"Erwin asked me to accompany him to this dumb event in the city," Hanji explained, waving her hand dismissively. "I really didn't want to go, especially dressed like this but he insisted I go 'as a woman'." Hanji emphasized with her fingers the quotation marks as she spoke. "I was kind of_ _hoping-eh?" she exclaimed as Levi abruptly stepped out of her room. "Where are you going?!"_

_ Levi stormed over to Erwin's office, not even bothering to knock before he wrenched open the door. He found Erwin inside, buttoning up his shirt when he turned around to see Levi entering his office. "Levi-" _

_ "What are you playing at?!" Levi snarled.  _

_ "What's wrong?" Erwin asked, confused. _

_ "Why are you forcing Hanji to wear that dress?" Levi continued. "Why wasn't I made aware of this?" _

_ Erwin stared at Levi for a moment before resisting the urge to smile at Levi's reaction. "Sorry," he apologized. "My presence was requested at this Valentine's Day charity event and I couldn't show up alone. I would have asked you, but that would have been strange-" _

_ "Don't you have any other woman to ask?!" Levi snapped, ignoring Erwin's jab at being humorous.  _

_ Erwin thought for a moment. "None as close to me as Hanji," he admitted. "I knew she wouldn't mind." _

_ Levi huffed while crossing his arms in frustration. Erwin smiled in amusement before pointing at a folded tie on his desk. "Can you hand that to me?" he asked patiently. _

_ "Tch," Levi hissed, obliging Erwin, even though he'd much rather tell him where else he could shove that tie. The fabric unfurled in his hand, revealing the strange characters fastened to it. Bewildered, Levi took it in for a further inspection. "OI," he said, giving it a perplexed look. "What's with this weird tie?" _

_ "Hanji made it for me," Erwin replied, taking it gently from Levi's hand. Levi's hands clenched angrily upon hearing those words. "She said that since I'm forcing her to wear a dress," Erwin continued calmly, trying to ease Levi's mood. "That she was going to force me to wear something equally as uncomfortable." Erwin chuckled. "As expected, this is the item of discomfort that Hanji came up with." _

_ "And you're really going to wear it?" Levi asked Erwin, eyeing him skeptically. "In front of your superiors?" _

_ "I think it's kind of cute," admitted Erwin, fastening it around his neck. "A deal's a deal. Hanji's wearing the dress, right?"  _

_ "Un," Levi grunted. He turned to leave. "Erwin," he snarled in a low tone, glaring at Erwin with the darkest scowl that he could muster. "Don't do anything you might regret." Erwin shuddered at the intensity of Levi's words as he turned and stormed off. As Levi stalked down the hall, Hanji was coming from the opposite direction, approaching Erwin's office.  _

_ "Hey!" she called amicably. "You ran off earlier before I could even ask! Do I look alright?"  _

_ Levi glared past her as he continued striding forward. Hanji reached out to gently grab his shoulder but he lifted his arm aggressively, pushing her hand away. "Levi?" Hanji stopped and turned as Levi continued storming past her, without saying a word. Confused, she continued to watch him until he was out of sight. _

_ Levi had sulked that entire evening in his room, trying his best not to dwell on how Hanji and Erwin's evening was going. He knew Erwin harbored no romantic feelings towards Hanji. He had told him so personally, but Levi couldn't help but feel jealous that the first time he ever saw Hanji in a dress, she was accompanied by another man other than himself. _

_ That next morning was the actual Valentine's Day holiday. All the female soldiers who wanted to make chocolate for the special men in their lives were in the kitchen. Levi had received chocolates from Petra and was flattered, but embarrassed. He thanked her awkwardly as she handed them to him in the mess hall during breakfast. As Levi made his way to his room, he again passed by Hanji's. He had not spoken to her since the other evening. He had felt bad for being so cold towards her so he wanted to check in to see how she was doing. He also had not yet spoken to Erwin and wanted to see how the party went.  _

_ As he poked his head inside, he saw that Hanji was at her desk, head in her hands. She looked upset, prompting Levi to swallow his hesitation from earlier. After briefly tapping his knuckle on her door to announce himself, he stepped inside. Hanji looked up at Levi. She was littered with stains of chocolate, at least Levi hoped to dear God that's what it was. Levi tutted to himself at how messy Hanji could be. "I hope the kitchen doesn't look half as bad as you do," he teased.  _

_ Hanji looked down sadly. "Un," she groaned. "I was kicked out of the kitchen." _

_ "That bad?" Levi asked, suppressing a chuckle. _

_ "Yeah," Hanji admitted. "I got excited trying to make chocolates like the rest of the female soldiers and started experimenting with the ingredients...you could see where that got me." _

_ Levi nodded, pondering quietly to himself about whom she was making an effort for. He casually scratched at a spot on her door. "Making chocolates for Erwin?" he asked, trying his best not to sound jealous. _

_ "Yes," Hanji admitted. Levi's fists tightened, betraying his attempt at remaining unphased.  _

_ "Moblit too," Hanji continued, starting to fiddle with her fingers nervously. Levi's eyes flicked towards her and noticed, finding it strange that she was acting in a shy manner towards him. "But...I mostly wanted to make chocolate for you," she admitted while bashfully avoiding his eyes.  _

_ Levi's cheeks began to warm as he realized the weight of her words. "Me?" he asked, confused.  _

_ "Erwin and Moblit seem more suited for that sort of thing." _

_ "We're friends too, are we not?" Hanji asked, now turning her eyes back to him.  _

_ "We are," Levi agreed, still feeling the warmth of his face, which he hoped Hanji didn't notice.  _

_ "Plus I consider you the person closest to me, you know that," Hanji added. "Which is why I wanted to make chocolates for you most of all." She spotted the bag of chocolates in Levi's hand. "Oh! I see someone beat me to it! Who are those from?"  _

_ "These?" Levi asked, forgetting about the bag in his hand. He paused to look at it before remembering. "Oh. Petra." _

_ "How nice!" Hanji exclaimed. "I think she likes you!" she added teasingly. _

_ "Don't be stupid," Levi snapped, embarrassed.  _

_ "Eh?" Hanji cried. "She's really cute. Is she not your type?" _

_ Levi stared at Hanji for a moment before answering softly, "No." He turned to leave. "Clean that chocolate shit off yourself." _

_Levi made his way to his room to put the bag of chocolates on his desk to eat later with some tea. He stood staring at them for a moment, thinking about Hanji's words. His face grew hot again as he thought about Hanji wanting to make chocolates with him in mind. "Damn Four Eyes," he muttered, not knowing whether to feel pleased with himself, or guilty because of his_ _prior behavior towards her. He exited his room and found himself knocking on Erwin's door before being given permission to enter._

_ "Came to see how last night went?" Erwin asked cheerfully as Levi entered.  _

_ "Bastard," Levi growled, as he sat down on a chair in front of Erwin's desk. "I just wanted to see how much of an ass you made of yourself." _

_ "Actually, I think the only person who made an ass of himself last night was you," Erwin chuckled.  _

_ "Ah?" Levi asked, confused.  _

_ "I had a great time and Hanji did too," Erwin answered. "Except for the fact that the whole night she kept wondering to herself what she could have done to have made Levi angry with her." _

_ Levi stiffened in realization before averting his eyes in guilt. "Shit," he murmured. _

_ "I didn't know how to explain to her that what she did wrong was wear a nice dress per request of the Commander of the Survey Corps," Erwin went on. He stood up and went to grab something off one of the shelves nearby. He approached Levi, who looked up at him once he came nearer. "Here," he offered as he handed over to Levi the same tie that he had worn the previous evening.  _

_ "What do you want me to do with this?" Levi asked in disgust, taking the tie from Erwin's outstretched arm. "Burn it?" _

_ "No," Erwin answered patiently as always. "Hanji asked me to give this to you." _

_ Levi's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?" he asked suspiciously. _

_ "In hopes you accompany her to the next dance," Erwin smiled with a wink. "I have a feeling that the whole time we were together last night...she would have rather been escorted by somebody else..." _

_ Levi stared for a moment at Erwin, expressionless. Feeling embarrassed by his words but also angered by his teasing tone, Levi eventually stood up from his seat. He firmly slapped the tie down on top of Erwin's desk before exiting the room.  _

_ A few moments later, Levi was nudging open Hanji's door with his shoulder. His hands were full from carrying a tray adorned with a kettle, some cups, and the bag of chocolates that Petra had given him. He surprised Hanji from her notes that she was studying. She looked up and straightened her posture. "What's this?" she asked, noticing Levi's tray. "A peace offering?" _

_ "You can say that," Levi answered, setting down the tray atop her desk. He internally sighed with relief when he noticed Hanji had cleaned herself up from her chocolate disaster from earlier. He grabbed a nearby chair and sat facing her, staring with a face Hanji could't decipher. She watched him curiously before standing up to reach for the kettle. She opened the lid to see the contents inside. _

_ "But Levi," she protested softly. "It's just hot water in here." _

_ "I know," Levi admitted, reaching into one of his pockets before fishing out a bag of tea leaves. He tossed in onto the same tray. "You need to know that this is my favorite tea." _

_ Hanji picked up the bag in her hands delicately and gazed at Levi, still confused. "...ok," she said, unsure of where he was going with this.  _

_ "You don't have to worry about making me chocolate," Levi admitted, shyly avoiding her eyes. "Sweets aren't my thing...but tea is." He gained the courage to lock eyes with Hanji. "So if you want to make me something, you can make me tea." _

_ Realization hit Hanji and she lit up with a smile. "Of course!" she cried as she opened the bag to pour the tea leaves into the pot of hot water. Levi fought the urge to cringe as some of the leaves didn't make it into the water. However, he enjoyed watching Hanji happily gathering some of the sugar and cream to add to her cup. Once she was finished, Hanji poured the tea into the cups and passed Levi one. With his signature grip, he slowly raised the cup to his lips.  _

_ Hanji watched him with expectant eyes as Levi took a sip of the tea. It definitely wasn't how he normally prepared it himself, but it wasn't a catastrophe. "It's terrible," he murmured, watching Hanji's face fall. Levi reached for the bag of chocolates and opened it. "Good thing I brought these to help with the taste." _

_ "But Levi," Hanji protested. "Aren't those a gift from Petra? Only you should be enjoying them." _

_ "It's not like I'm giving them to you," Levi argued. "I'm not that heartless." He passed some to Hanji. "But seeing as they were gifted to me, I have the right to do with them as I please." He looked away bashfully. "Besides, I know how much of a sweet tooth your ass is. I don't mind sharing with you."  _

_ Hanji smiled at him sweetly, making him feel even more shy. "Thanks Levi!" she cried. "I'm glad you're not angry with me anymore." _

_ "Stupid," Levi stammered, nearly choking on his tea. "I was...never angry with you." He gave her a sincere look. "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way." _

_ Hanji nodded quietly while taking a sip of her own tea. They quietly enjoyed the chocolates and tea, every now and then making small talk.  _

_ "I'm not wearing that revolting tie," Levi finally declared. Hanji gave him a confused look before realizing what his words meant. She cast her eyes downwards sadly with an, "I see..." _

_ "But...the next time there's one of those stupid formal events, I'll go with you if you like," Levi continued. He gave Hanji a side glance to see what she had to say in response.  _

_ Hanji's face beamed as a huge smile spread across her face. Levi's cheeks turned pink but he smiled softly at her in return. _

"That smug bastard," Levi whispered, feeling his eyes getting misty at the memory. "He always knew about my feelings for her."

  
  



	3. A Time to Heal

"Thought I would never see that again," Hanji's voice interrupted Levi's memory. He whirled around to face Hanji before looking at the tie in his hand once more. "I'm surprised Erwin kept it this whole time," she added, walking towards one of the large windows. She leaned her back against it before looking towards Levi. He was regarding her quietly before he spoke. 

"Do you want to hold on to it?" he offered. 

"No," Hanji replied. "No one else was going to wear it but him anyway. Might as well throw it away with the other things."

"Is that so," Levi answered quietly, placing the tie back on the desk before hanging his head in despair. He shuffled closer to Hanji, head hung the whole time. His body trembled and Hanji gave him an uneasy look. "You must really hate me for allowing him to die." His voice came out shaky and Hanji noticed with alarm that Levi was crying. It had been so long and she couldn't even recall the last time he cried before her. 

Straightening up, she extended her arms and pulled Levi towards her. He put up very little resistance as he leaned against her body, turning his head to the side and pressing against her shoulder, just under her chin. Levi continued to sob silently as Hanji cradled his head gently in her arms. "Oh," she tsked soothingly. "Oh oh oh. I can never hate you, Levi."

"I know you miss Erwin. I do too." she spoke softly. "But I don't hate you, nor blame you for his death." She began to weep quietly along with Levi. "I'm sorry for what I said before, I didn't mean for those words to come out the way they did." She smoothed some of the bangs away from Levi's forehead before planting a tender kiss. She continued to hold Levi as his sobbing had calmed down to small intervals of hiccups. 

"I think you did the right thing, allowing Erwin to rest." Hanji admitted. "My reason for being upset is selfish. I don't think I'm ready to take on such a heavy responsibility." She instantly felt better about admitting that to both herself and Levi outloud. "But you know," she continued, affectionately running her fingers through his silky black hair. "Although we've lost so many others, I am so relieved that I didn't lose you."

Hanji let out a cry of surprise as Levi wrapped his arms around Hanji and squeezed tight. "Me too!" he cried out. "When that explosion happened when Bertoldt-I feared that-" he stopped to bury his head into Hanji's shoulder. Hanji smiled sympathetically and rubbed his back reassuringly. After a while, Levi pulled back and looked up at Hanji. She was holding his gaze with a tender expression. He cautiously reached for her injured eye again. However, this time, Hanji allowed him to touch it, closing her good eye. Gently, his fingers ran across the bandages.

"For fuck's sake Hanji, kiss me already," Levi growled, taking Hanji's chin to tilt her head down as he captured her lips in his. Hanji smiled against the stolen kiss and responded by pressing her lips against his with equal enthusiasm. Both of them groaned in relief as it was their first kiss since they've returned from Shiganshina. Slow, tender, and sweet kisses turned into passionate tongue entwining as Levi's hands began to wander to Hanji's waist, slipping underneath her shirt and running upwards, caressing her bare skin. 

Hanji pulled away hesitantly. "Levi, wait-" she protested while looking towards the door.

"Hanji," Levi groaned, his eyes darkened with lust. "Is it bad...to want to embrace the woman I love?" He stood on his tiptoes to try and steal another kiss. 

"It _is_ when said woman is worried about someone stumbling in," Hanji answered, putting her hand out to block his advancing mouth. He huffed, but stopped his pursuit, pulling away so that he could speak, blushing red. "Let's do it, Hanji," he suggested, a slight whine to his voice. 

"Not here," Hanji protested, amused at Levi's behavior. "If Erwin could see us now, in his office-"

"He would clap for me in triumph," Levi joked, rolling his eyes at Hanji. "Anyway, the brats are locked up downstairs."

"Not all of them!" Hanji exclaimed. And just like that, there was a knock on the door. Both of their eyes widened in horror as they tore away from each other, straightening out their clothing and hair. Hanji gave the word to enter and Armin stepped inside.

"Hanji san," Armin greeted. "Pardon the intrusion-" he paused when he noticed Levi. "Oh, Levi Heichou."

"Get on with it," Levi urged impatiently, pretending to busy himself with Erwin's belongings. 

"Ah, sorry!" Armin cried, looking at Hanji again. "It's regarding Eren. He's recalling memories. It may be from his father, but he's also talking in his sleep."

Hanji took a moment to consider Armin's words. "Take notes on all that he says," Hanji ordered. "We don't know if everything in Dr. Yeager's books contain every piece of information we need. Jot down everything Eren tells you and what you hear in his sleep. I could compare it to what's written in the books."

"Yes, Hanji san!" Armin agreed with a salute to both her and Levi. "Good night!" 

As Armin closed the door, Levi let out a sigh, "Well that sure spoiled the mood."

"Eh? What mood?!" Hanji cried. "I told you that we shouldn't be doing such things here! I'm going back to my room to finish reading."

Levi grabbed her arm as she passed by. She turned to meet Levi's grey blue eyes staring intensely at hers. "Please," he mumbled softly. "I don't think we should be alone."

Hanji relented after a moment of staring back. "Geez, is this your way of trying to be seductive?"

"Why? Is it working?" Levi asked playfully with one of his rare grins, attempting to win her over.

"No," Hanji replied, folding her arms in front of her. "But you're right. Maybe it's best we stay with each other tonight. It's not everyday you lose someone close to you."

"Yeah," agreed Levi darkly. "But it's not uncommon for it to happen when in the Survey Corps..." He looked back at Hanji and beckoned her to follow him. "Let's finish sorting through this crap and we can go to my room."

"Why yours?" Hanji teased. "Mine too messy for you?"

"That," Levi admitted, picking up some trinkets off the nearby shelf. "And you'll be tempted to read those damn books again."

Hanji laughed and joined Levi in organizing Erwin's belongings. 

* * *

Hanji entered Levi's room by nudging open his door with her foot. She cradled Levi in her arms with a strained grunt. Levi was so exhausted physically and mentally that he literally collapsed the moment he sat down on Erwin's old desk for a break. If it weren't for those new books consuming her thoughts, Hanji would be in the same situation. They had gone through so much these past few days that normally, she would have passed out too. 

Gently, Hanji lowered Levi down to his bed. She removed his shoes and placed them neatly on the floor nearby. As she stood up, she reached over and grabbed his blanket and covered him. Pausing for a moment, she admired Levi's peaceful sleeping face. Hanji felt her heart swell as she appreciated how handsome Levi was. She sometimes found herself wondering how she had landed such a man. Many women admired Levi, yet he seemed to only have eyes for her. Hanji smiled lovingly at Levi. Part of her wanted badly to join his side and cuddle with him. However, she really wanted to finish up her reading so that she can work on her report. She made her decision and delicately smoothed some of Levi's bangs out of his face. She knelt down to kiss him on the forehead before turning to leave his room. 

**~~A few hours later~~**

Levi scowled in his sleep. He grimaced in pain as visions of corpses of his fallen comrades plagued his mind. Levi began to toss and turn as visions of a blonde man with blue eyes lying lifeless on the ground came into view. "I really...wanted to see what was in that basement". 

Levi woke in a cold sweat, gasping for air. His eyes wide open as he slowly realized he was recovering from a nightmare. He placed his hand on his forehead to steady his nerves as his body began to subside its trembling. He reached his other hand out to touch the person who gave him comfort. When his hand felt nothing but the empty bedsheets, he turned his head in surprise. _Hanji?_ he thought, searching around the room in hopes that she was nearby. 

He sighed and stood up from his bed. He decided to make his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. Once he retrieved a drink, he made his way back towards the officer's dorms. Taking small, calming sips, he made his way towards Hanji's room. Her door was left slightly ajar and he could see light spilling out through the crack. Levi sighed and nudged the door open quietly. Hanji was at her desk, writing furiously. It seemed as if she had already finished reading the books and was now working on her report.

"Oi Hanji," Levi called, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "Have you even slept?"

Hanji grunted her reply, which Levi took as a "no". He walked past her, placing his glass on her desk. He stood behind her and observed her as she continued to scribble. Levi looked at her undisturbed bed and then back at her. _She needs to sleep_ , Levi thought with determination. After some thought, Levi approached her slowly. Once he was behind Hanji, he bent down and wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled her neck affectionately and whispered her name as his lips softly grazed her ear. The smell of her freshly bathed hair and skin was heaven to his nose. His lips brushed across before gently sinking his teeth into her flesh.

Hanji stiffened, putting a halt to her writing. Levi took the opportunity to push her papers and pens out of the way. "Hey!" she cried out. "I thought I told you-"

"Hanji," Levi begged, reaching a hand out to grip her chin and turn her head towards him. Her eyes met his imploring gaze. "Hanji." 

Hanji nearly shuddered at the way her name rolled off his lips. She knew what he was trying to do and it was working. Ever since they've returned, she had been aching for Levi's company as well. It was a sense of peace to be with him but she had been so busy with her findings that she'd been neglecting him, too. She suddenly realized that she wasn't the only one who needed comfort from the loss of her comrades. 

Levi playfully nipped at Hanji's ear before running his tongue down her neck. Hanji finally turned around and met Levi's lips with such force that it surprised Levi. She stood up, lifting Levi's face with her hands gently so that he rose upwards with her. However, Levi found that his lips chased hers on his own accord. He gently licked the bottom of her lip, silently requesting permission. Hanji obliged and they both allowed their tongues to meet and dance together before pulling back with a gasp. 

Hanji tilted her head downwards to lean against Levi's forehead. Both stared at each other for a moment before Hanji spoke. "I'm sorry Levi."

"For what?" he asked, drinking in the way the light reflected beautifully in her remaining eye. 

"I've been selfish," she admitted. "Everything's been like a dream. Shiganshina, losing our comrades...even us. It seemed like so long ago that we started a new chapter in our relationship. I was starting to think it was all just some dream."

"Dumbass," Levi growled, giving her a quick kiss as his hand caressed softly down her cheek. 

"Do you really think you could dream of us possibly getting together?"

"I know that," Hanji chuckled. "I also know that I'm not the only one who's grieving. I'm sorry that I didn't realize that earlier. All that research..."

"Put it aside for now...for tonight," Levi pleaded, taking hold of her face and capturing her lips once more. Hanji returned his kiss before his lips began to wander to her cheek, then back down to her neck. Levi's hands went from Hanji's face and trailed down slowly to her shirt, unfastening one button after another. 

Hanji pulled away for air, "Wait."

Levi grunted in frustration, hooded eyes gazing lustfully at her. "What is it now?" he asked impatiently.

Hanji looked towards the door, nervously. "The kids...they might."

Levi growled and stalked to the door. He made a show of locking it before storming back and hoisting her onto her desk. "They'll be fine. They're all sleeping. Something _you_ should be doing." He took off his shirt and tossed it behind him. "Take your mind off everything for a bit. Tonight...it's only you and me." He grabbed Hanji's hands and placed them on his chest. "Touch me already Dammit," he begged in a husky voice. Hanji smiled and gently ran her hands across Levi's defined muscles. Her fingertips softly traced the toned lines of his chest to his abdomen. Hanji appreciated how absolutely beautiful Levi’s body was.

Levi closed his eyes, letting out a soft hiss, focusing on her touch. It was still foreign to him, being touched, especially without clothes acting as a barrier. But he absolutely adored Hanji’s touch. He craved it, needed it, like some sort of addicting drug. He felt Hanji's lips brush softly against his and he groaned, parting his lips for her. As she graced him with one soft kiss after another, he opened his eyes and stared deep into hers. "Do you still...?" he paused to formulate the words. "Do you still feel the same way about me?"

Hanji laughed softly at how cute Levi was. She knew what he meant, despite his difficulty in asking. _Isn't it obvious?_ Thought Hanji. _I've already told him countless times I do_. "Yes," she finally answered, nuzzling his nose with hers as an apology for her laughter. 

"Let me hear you say it," Levi croaked, desperation in his voice. 

Hanji regarded him for a second, not sure why he needed to hear those words right now. Then, she smiled warmly at him, forgetting that Levi was the type who needed reassurance, having not experienced love in the past. "I love you Levi," she murmured, so that he could hear the emotion in her tone clearly. She was taken off guard when Levi wrapped his arms around her tightly, almost knocking the wind out of her. With a growl, Levi began to unbutton the rest of Hanji's shirt as he gently bit and sucked around her neck and shoulders. 

"Whoa!" Hanji cried, bracing herself against him in surprise. She helped shrug off her shirt and bra, feeling herself succumb to her own desire for more of Levi's attention. Hopping off her desk, she removed her pants and tossed them away with a swing of her leg. Then, she began to fumble with Levi's belt and pants. Once his pants and underwear had dropped to his ankles, his erection sprang free. 

"Easy with the nipping," Hanji warned with a breathless giggle as Levi continued to bite at her flesh. 

"You don't appreciate my love bites?" Levi asked, pausing after his last bite to kiss and lick her skin where he had last sank his teeth into.

"Not when I have to explain to them to the medical team," Hanji responded. She smiled playfully. "Of course, I could always say that the cutest tiny TItan-"

Levi clicked his tongue impatiently and took one of Hanji's hands in his and guided it to his erect member. Hanji took the hint and grasped it firmly. He closed his eyes at the sensation. However, they soon shot open as he let out a yelp when Hanji quickly took him in her mouth. 

Levi moaned loudly as she began to quickly consume his penis deep in her mouth before pulling away in a fast rhythm. "Wai-wait," he panted, putting his hand down to grip her head gently, preventing her from continuing. 

Using her hand to pump up and down his length to give her mouth a break, she looked up at him with a sly smile. "What's wrong? Doesn't it feel good?"

"Fuck," Levi breathed out. "It feels really good." He looked down at her with a shudder of pleasure. "But don't rush it."

He threw his head back as Hanji again took in his full length. She took on a slower pace, teasing him with her tongue as she ran it up and down his length. Levi's small voice and whimpers made her smile as she continued to make sure he thoroughly enjoyed her touch. "Ah!" he exclaimed as he held onto her head to prevent himself from collapsing. It had been a while since he'd had any sexual release and he could feel his orgasm building. "Hanji d-don't...don't stop-'' he pleaded, before letting out another whimper. Hanji could feel his fingers tighten in her hair and knew he was getting ready to climax. She pulled back this time as Levi ejaculated, his semen spraying onto her bare chest and some of her face. 

Hanji stood up with a satisfied smirk, heading to the restroom to grab a cloth. 

"Oh no you don't," Levi growled, wrapping his arms around her before lifting her up. "We'll clean up after we're done."

"Wah?" Hanji exclaimed in surprise. "This coming from Mr. Clean Freak?"

"Yes," Levi admitted, wiping some of his semen off her face. "There are things I enjoy more than cleaning."

Hanji let out a shriek of joyful surprise as he tossed her onto her own bed. Levi climbed over her before pulling her underwear off and throwing them aside. "And that's making love to you," he admitted. He kissed her long and deeply, groaning into her mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck lovingly. After a moment, they broke the kiss and gazed into each other's eyes. He reached to take her glasses off. "Uh uh uh," she warned, wagging her finger.

"They're hurting my face," Levi complained, retracting his hand.

"But I won't be able see your face that well," Hanji argued back. "And right now is the best time to view it."

"Yeah? And why's that?" Levi replied, curious to her reasoning.

"Because you're such an emotional person," Hanji said. "Normally you don't show it. But when we're making love, you let down your wall so I can see the faces you make that no one has the pleasure of seeing." 

Levi gazed at Hanji, taking in her words. "Whatever," he replied shyly. He smiled softly before trailing soft kisses down her chest, her stomach, and eventually to her vaginal region. He gently stuck his tongue inside her and swirled around, tasting how wet she was. Hanji gasped and tossed her head against her pillow. Levi began to insert his tongue in and out of her as she cried out in pleasure. With one of her free hands to cover her mouth, she attempted to stifle her moans. Her other hand clenched the sheets desperately in an attempt to contain her pleasure. Levi slipped his hands underneath Hanji's buttocks and lifted her towards him. He sucked on her clitoris, knowing she would soon unwravel for him in his hands.

"Levi!" Hanji gasped. "Levi! I'm-"

Hanji's body felt as if it was on fire as Levi sent her over the edge in ecstasy as she cried out his name. 

Levi sat on the bed, legs crossed as he pulled her onto his lap. He showered her face with soft kisses as she began to come down from her high. "You," he muttered, giving her a kiss on her bandaged eye. "Taking over as commander is no easy task." Hanji watched him as his grey blue eyes stared intensely into her brown gems. "I know you're concerned." He lifted her chin firmly so that he held her gaze. "But you won't be alone...I'll always be at your side."

A tear rolled from Hanji's eye and Levi wiped it away softly. "You got that?" he asked. 

Hanji nodded, holding back a sob. "Good," Levi murmured as he pulled her into an embrace. 

She held onto him tightly, afraid to let go. She inhaled his clean, soapy scent and buried her face into his neck before playfully nipping him. She heard him take a sharp intake of breath and felt something hard pressing against her inner thighs. "Shall we continue?" Levi murmured sultrily in her ear. He lied back, with Hanji straddling him just above his hips. "Set the pace."

"How is it," Hanji asked as she raised her hips and slowly began to sheath Levi inside her. "That humanity's strongest is such a gentle lover?" She let out a grunt of discomfort as she adjusted to Levi's presence inside her. Levi let out a sigh of pleasure as he felt himself slide all the way in. He gripped her hips as she began to rock against his slowly at first.

"That's because Humanity's strongest has a weak spot only for his lover," Levi admitted, tenderly looking up at Hanji's face. "Tell anyone and you'll pay."

He gently slid his hands up her flat stomach to her small breasts and gently massaged them in his palms. They weren't big, not in the very least. But that didn't matter to Levi. As long as they filled his hands, he was content. Hanji wasn't exactly what one would define as 'sexy' to most men's standards. But to Levi, Hanji was the most divine creature in the world. Completely enamored by her, Levi believed her to be the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. From the moment he first locked eyes with her, he was hooked. He couldn't recall the exact moment he fell for her, but for the longest time, longer than he could recall, Hanji had his heart captured. 

A loud groan of pleasure escaped his lips as his trance broke when he noticed how quickly Hanji was moving. "O-oi!" he exclaimed, bracing her hips with his hands. "Slow down you crazy woman." 

She laughed and slowed down. "I thought," she replied breathlessly. "I was supposed to set the pace."

Levi sighed in exasperation but realized that his ulterior motive was to get Hanji tired enough to sleep. _Let her exhaust herself_ , he told himself. "Continue," Levi murmured, running his hands up her thighs. He admired their length and he was reminded how much he loved her legs. He looked up at Hanji and locked eyes with her as she continued her assault of passion on him. Both moaning and captivated by the other, they held each other's tender gaze. "I told you," Hanji panted. "This is the best time to see Levi's rarest expressions." 

Levi was caught unaware when Hanji leaned down to claim his lips with a moan. Surprised, he watched as Hanji's breathing became more rapid as she began to moan his name. _She's close_ , Levi thought as her moans began to intensify with cries of his name. He let one of his free hands roam to her clitoris and began to stimulate the area with his thumb. He could feel his penis being clamped by her more. He groaned, "Keep calling me, Hanji." Hearing her cry his name always turned him on even more.

Levi grimaced as Hanji tightened around him with her orgasm. He grunted in response, feeling himself building to climax as well. "Hanji!" he cried softly as he filled her with his semen. She collapsed gently into Levi's outstretched arms. He burrowed into her hold lovingly, closing his eyes in content. After a few minutes, the soft snores of Hanji reached the satisfied ears of the captain, which helped lull him to sleep as well. 

  
  



	4. Back to Business

Levi's eyes blinked open. He glanced around himself to find that he and Hanji were both in each other's arms. She had shimmied down during her sleep so that her head rested just below Levi's chin. He smiled before caressing her face with the back of his fingers. Not wanting to wake her, he slightly pulled her head closer so that he could plant a kiss on her forehead. He decided to watch her sleep for a few minutes. He reached towards Hanji's hair, grasping some of the brown strands through his fingers. With her hair being clean, it slipped through Levi's fingers loosely as he continued to play with her hair. All the while he watched her sleeping face with content. He silently thanked his lucky stars that he still had Hanji. That he was still able to lay his eyes on her, to smell her, to hear her, touch her. Levi let out a soft sigh. If he could stay like this forever, he would. However, it was his duty this morning to make sure both Eren and Mikasa had their meals. He climbed over Hanji, careful not to disturb her. He covered her naked body with the blanket and gathered his clothing as not to raise any questions. Pulling on his pants, he made his way back to his quarters to wash up. 

* * *

"You almost finished with your report?" Levi asked, bringing Hanji some breakfast to her room. 

"Un," Hanji grunted, tapping her quill against the side of her head absentmindedly as she read over her paperwork. Levi slid a cup of tea, toast and sliced fruit over towards her. 

"Come on," he urged. "Eat. We'll have to gather the brats soon and head over to Trost."

Hanji looked up and then frowned back at her paperwork before gathering the pages, shuffling them together and out of the way. She took a moment to sip on the tea Levi brought her and smiled as it warmed her lips. 

It had been almost a week since they've returned back from Shiganshina. Hanji had read all the newly found books and began working on her written report diligently. Armin had been to see her a few times to submit his written report on Eren's memories. All the while, Levi had been practically joined at the hip to Hanji, listening to her findings and helping her write the report. Hanji had been a bit uncomfortable with Levi's hovering but she really couldn't blame him. There were only 9 members left in the Survey Corps and the new recruits were still in the process of finishing up their training with Shadis. She figured Levi must have been feeling very lonely. 

She looked up at him to see that he was watching her. She loved him, but was not used to having him around all the time. Even Moblit knew when to give her space. Lately, Levi had been insistent on spending his time in her room or her in his room. Plus, he had been trying to get her to move her stuff to Erwin's office. She wasn't ready for that yet and put up a fight whenever he reminded her. 

"What?" Levi asked abruptly.

"Huh?" Hanji replied, blinking in confusion.

"You're just staring at me like an idiot," Levi answered. "Eat."

Hanji obliged and began eating her breakfast while Levi read over her report to pass the time. As he perused the report, he mostly just checked for thoroughness. Hanji had already filled him in on the contents of the books found in Dr. Yeager's basement. It was a lot to take in at first. But at the same time, after everything they've been through, little was surprising to Levi anymore. In fact, if it was discovered that there was a certain Titan that could fly, he probably wouldn't even bat an eye. He paused when he arrived at the part of the report that discussed their battle at Shiganshina. 

All the remaining soldiers were required to submit a report at the hearing with Historia and Zackley. And they were all about the same, just told from different points of views. Levi felt guilt emerge as even Hanji's report held some form of hesitation in her writing when it came down to explain that Levi had chosen to give the injection to Armin, instead of Erwin. It hurt to read it, even though Hanji had assured him she held no blame towards his actions. He still felt as if she resented the decision he made. 

Levi excused himself from Hanji. She gave him a questionable look but he informed her that he was merely going back to his room to gather his report, too. He gave her a stern look and reminded her to eat before leaving the room. 

A few moments after, Hanji lifted her head to a knock at her doorway. Floch had entered, already dressed in his long, green military coat. 

"Excuse me, Hanji san," Floch greeted, flashing a stack of papers in his hand. "I came to bring you mine and the other scouts' reports."

"Oh, of course," Hanji replied, pushing her now empty plate away. She took the reports from him as he handed them to her. She noticed that Floch was lingering. "What's the matter?" she asked.

Floch was looking down in thought before Hanji's voice interrupted. He looked up at her and apologized. "Sorry, I was just thinking...if I wrote my report the right way."

"What do you mean?" Hanji asked, shuffling the papers to find his specific report. 

"I wrote everything that happened over in Shiganshina," Floch explained. "But I still feel like it was not enough-"

"I see," Hanji cut in, quickly glancing over his report. "You wrote well, although very opinionated." She finished reading and met his eyes. "But that's all that's asked of you and your comrades. You report the incidents as they happen. Many of you see things in your own ways, yet they are your opinions, and not facts. And that's what we ask you to provide in these reports: Facts. Do you understand?"

Floch nodded guiltily. 

"So, your report states that Levi made his decision to revive Armin instead of Erwin due to being emotionally conflicted," Hanji continued. "That was unnecessary. Do you know for a fact what Levi's conviction was? Do you know for a fact, that was the case?"

"No," Floch replied. "But..." he paused to think. "Commander...may I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," Hanji replied, placing the reports down and folding her hands in front of her. 

"Say the situation happened again," Floch slowly began. "Say we had another Titan serum and went to battle once more. And you...were mortally wounded."

Hanji's eyes widened, realizing where he was going with his question.

"Would you justify Captain Levi's actions if he were to save someone else aside from you, being the Commander of the Survey Corps?" 

"Well," Hanji answered quickly, an air of humor in her tone. "Seeing as if Levi chose somebody else to live aside from me, I would be in no position to justify his actions. I would be dead for one thing." She chuckled. "But I would honestly assume that Levi made his choice for the benefit of humanity."

"Do you think Levi made that choice when he chose Armin over Erwin?" Floch slipped out abruptly.

Hanji remained quiet for a second. Then, she regarded Floch more sternly. "Absolutely. Erwin was mine and Levi's close comrade, aside from being our commander." She inhaled quietly. "And Erwin entrusted Levi with the serum. Therefore, I trust Levi's decision too and refuse to question that."

"I'm sorry Hanji san," Floch admitted, while turning around to leave. He gave her a salute. "But I disagree with you there." 

As he left the room, he let out a cry of terror as he nearly ran into Levi, standing behind the doorway. 

"Quit your stupid noises," Levi snarled. "You and the others better be ready to leave in the next few minutes."

"Ye-yes Heichou," Floch stammered before excusing himself. Levi glowered after him to make sure he was out of earshot.

"It's not true," Levi stated as he entered Hanji's room, dropping his report onto her desk. 

"What's not?" Hanji asked, as she took his report and added it to the others. 

"What that brat said..." Levi answered. "About you being injured and if we had another serum." He looked down sadly. "I wouldn't...couldn't let you die too."

"Levi," Hanji replied, sparing him a sympathetic look. "Don't make those promises to me." She paused to observe Levi's shocked expression. "Don't give me that look. If that time ever comes and if there's someone else more worth saving for Humanity then-"

"Shut up!" Levi shouted, storming over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "After what we've been through, do you think I'd choose to let you die on my hands?!"

"I would expect you to do the right thing," Hanji answered calmly. "Even if that means having to say Goodbye to-"

"Tch! I don't want to hear this from you!" Levi cried, breaking away from her. He walked towards the door. "Do I dare ask what you would do if the situation was reversed?"

"For who's situation?" Hanji asked, puzzled. "Erwin's?"

"No," Levi answered, heaving a sigh. "If it were me...forget it. Let's go."

* * *

Levi and Hanji had just left their meeting with their superiors regarding their findings. Levi noticed that Hanji seemed to be in a hurry and sped up to keep pace with her. "Oi, why are-"

Hanji thrust a bag at Levi, giving him no choice but to catch it. "I brought you some clothes to change into."

"Why?" Levi asked confused. 

"The meeting with those journalists, remember?" Hanji responded. "You wanted to come with me. I doubt you wanted to show up in military attire. Hurry up and change! I'm already late!" she urged, waving her arms up and down.

"Tch," Levi turned and headed towards the nearest building to change. 

He came out dressed in his black slacks and jacket. He eyed Hanji for a moment as they walked towards Piure's office a few blocks down. 

"What's with the jacket?" Levi asked, noticing that she adorned a new one.

"What? This?" Hanji clarified, looking down at herself in her new black jacket. She smiled brightly at Levi. "I figured I was tired of fighting over who gets to wear my old one. I bought myself this one so I can officially give you that one."

"You told me this was a ladies jacket," Levi questioned, opening it up slightly with his hands in the pockets. 

"It looks better on you anyway," Hanji complimented. "Besides, now we can both wear a nice jacket when we're out together." She looked off towards the distance, a few steps now ahead of Levi. "I am going to miss how it smells like you, though."

Levi blushed slightly. "Damn thing smells like you, what are you talking about?"

"Do you hate it?" Hanji asked curiously, peering back at him over her shoulder.

Levi looked away, not answering immediately. They continued to walk before he answered, "It's why I wear it."

It was Hanji's turn to blush as her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment. She just smiled as they continued to walk side by side. 

* * *

"Neh, what do you think was up with Eren today?" Hanji asked, looking down at Levi. They both were in Levi's room as he lied on his bed with Hanji sitting on top of his hips. However, they were both fully clothed, having just come back from the mess hall for dinner. 

"Who knows?" Levi asked, his arms behind his neck for support. "Maybe it's the food. It's been shit lately. These soldiers really need to learn how to cook better. It can't always be me."

"Quit changing the subject," Hanji argued. "You did the same thing earlier today when Eren mentioned the Attack Titan."

Levi sighed. "I don't know Hanji. The kid's obviously going through a lot, from the recent battle to his father's findings. I mean, how would you feel learning one of your parents was from an entirely different world you never knew about? On top of that, memories that are not of his own are invading his thoughts. That's gotta be weird for anyone."

"Hmm," Hanji thought aloud. "I guess you're right." 

"Drop it for now," Levi demanded, giving her his stern eyes. "Besides, you owe it to me. I'm still mad at you from earlier."

Hanji continued to stare at Levi blankly before smiling. "Neh, do you want to do it?"

Levi glared at her before reaching back and grabbing his pillow. He tossed it at her face, sending her glasses flying.

Hanji cried out in surprise, grabbing blindly around her face as Levi sat up and pulled her into his arms before falling back down onto his bed. He kissed her gently. "Moron," he muttered, giving her nose a quick kiss. "Just be with me tonight. It's not like I want you just for sex, you know."

"Oh I know," Hanji replied with a coy smile. "After you've pursued me for so long without me even giving you the slightest hint that-"

"I didn't pursue you!" Levi snapped back, embarrassed. 

Hanji just smiled, knowing he was too shy to admit it and snuggled against him, as Levi buried his head in her chest. Thoughts of the day's events flooded him. From his argument with Hanji earlier, to Floch's words to both Hanji and the other Scouts at Trost. Even the Military Police and officials who read over his report were questioning his decision to revive Armin over Erwin. Levi had forgotten to mention to Hanji that his action was called into question and his presence was requested tomorrow in Trost to review his decision. 

"Hanji," Levi murmured, feeling sleepy.

"What?" she asked, rubbing his arms affectionately. 

"Tomorrow, I have a meeting with our superiors regarding my serum decision," he murmured into her.

"Those bastards still haven't dropped it, huh?" Hanji replied with disgust. 

Levi grunted in response and nuzzled his head against her, prompting Hanji to smile and continue to caress him comfortingly. "You know, for being such a grouch all the time, you're surprisingly keen to be spoiled with affection."

"Shut it," Levi growled into her, knowing damn well that she was right as he succumbed to his drowsiness. 

Levi's eyes squinted even tighter in his sleep as he began to groan uncomfortably. More visions of carnage plagued his dreams as he ran amongst the dead body-lined streets. "Hanji!" he called out, searching for her among the debris and dead. "The basement," a booming voice echoed throughout the atmosphere as Levi flinched and covered his ears in panic. "Just wanted...to see,"

"Hanji! Where are you?!" Levi cried out, more desperately. He heard a groan of pain and ran in the direction in which the voice came. A voice he knew very well. He skidded to a halt as he finally found her. Lying in an unnatural position on the floor was Hanji's injured and possibly dying body. 

"H-hey," she croaked out.

"Hold on!" Levi cried, fumbling with the box in his hands. "I have the serum right here, just hold on a bit longer!"

Hanji pushed his hand defiantly away. "It's not me," she coughed up blood. "that you have to save, remember?"

"What are you talking about?" Levi cried frantically. "I can't let you die!"

"The basement," the booming voice echoed again. Levi startled, looking around in fear. When he looked down, Hanji had her eyes closed and didn't appear to be breathing. Levi began to search his body for the serum. "Where?" he looked up to see Floch standing nearby, the serum box clutched in his hand. 

"What? Give that to me!" Levi demanded. Floch shook his head. "This isn't meant for her, remember? We were given orders to save only one person." Floch looked down at Hanji. 

"Besides," he continued. "She's already gone."

Levi bristled, taking his attention off of Floch to gawk at Hanji. "No," he whimpered weakly, taking her in his arms delicately as if she was made of glass. "Hanji!" he cried. "HANJI!"

"Levi!" Hanji called out, shaking him gently. "Levi wake up!" 

Levi's eyes shot open, widely darting around. He was gasping for air and trembling. Hanji wrapped her arms around him and rocked him gently. "Easy Levi," she comforted. "Easy. You were having a nightmare, it's ok now."

"Hanji," Levi whispered in relief and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her securely. The sensation of her warmth comforted him as his trembling subsided. They remained in each other's arms silently for a few more moments before Levi broke apart, feeling embarrassed at being frightened over his dream. "Thanks."

"Want to tell me what happened?" Hanji asked carefully. 

Levi thought for a moment before replying with a no. "We need to get ready for the day." Levi added, "I need to take a bath." noticing how he was covered in sweat. He looked at Hanji. "Join me?"

"Ugh, fine," Hanji growled, throwing the blanket off of her in exasperation. Levi smirked and took her hand.

* * *

After washing themselves, Levi and Hanji sat in the tub for a few moments longer, holding each other. Levi was still shaken up by his nightmare but didn't feel like telling Hanji about it just yet, especially since it had to do with their argument from before. However, he appreciated the caresses she was giving him in comfort. He looked up at her and she held his gaze. His eyes wandered to her bandage. "We should probably change your bandage." He began to unravel the long bandage that secured the gauze around her injured eye. 

Levi inspected the area. The blood was long gone and the majority of the minor scratches had healed nicely. However, there was a sizable scar present. "Are you able to open your eye?" Levi asked curiously. Hanji looked away shyly before nodding. "What, are you embarrassed to show me?" Levi asked, amused. "I'm not going to insult you!"

"Ha!" Hanji scoffed. "This coming from the man who teased me and my glasses for the majority of our time knowing each other?"

"Just show me!" Levi demanded. Hanji gave him a hesitant look, before slowly opening her eye. Instead of her brown iris, a pale blue color took its place. Levi admitted it was a bit creepy, but not that bad. With one hand he covered her good eye. With his other, he waved it in front of her face. "So you can't see out of it at all?"

"No," Hanji answered. "But I can detect light and see that a shadow moved temporarily in front of it. Was that your hand?"

Levi kissed the back of his hand that covered her eye before moving it out of the way. "Yeah. It doesn't look that bad, you don't have to keep covering it."

Hanji looked away sadly and Levi understood. "You're not ready yet. I understand." He stood up and began to dry himself off. "Let's get you a new bandage." He continued to towel himself off, when he felt Hanji's eager eyes on him. He gave a wry smile. "And stop staring at my ass."

* * *

"Levi Ackerman," a voice cut in, interrupting Levi's daze. "You stand before us to defend your decision to not revive the late Survey Corps Commander Erwin Smith. The least you could do is answer the questions directed at you."

"Ah?" Levi replied, shaking away his stupor. "You say something?" His mind had wandered elsewhere during the meeting. 

General Zackley cleared his throat before repeating. "I asked you if that was the story you wanted to stick with." He shuffled some papers in front of himself. "All of the reports from your subordinates and new Survey Corps Commander Hanji Zoe were submitted. And they all stated the same story...However..." He paused to regard Levi over his spectacles. "I can't help but feel a sense of hesitation in every report when it came down to admitting your choice to revive Armin over Erwin."

Levi glared sternly at Zackley before opening his mouth. However, a commotion drew his attention to the entrance of the room. 

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but you cannot just barge in, they're in the middle of a-"

"Stand aside, I'm part of the hearing, I just ran a bit late this morning!" 

Levi's ears perked up at the sound of the familiar voice and nearly startled out of his seat as Hanji burst through the doors. "Sorry I'm late," she announced, saluting her superiors.  _ Damn woman loves making her entrances _ , Levi thought affectionately. 

"Thank you for finally being able to join us, Commander Hanji," Zackley greeted with an air of amusement. "I hope you don't expect a summary of today's hearing after your tardiness."

"Not at all," Hanji replied with a grin. "I just heard the last part regarding the submitted reports." She pushed her glasses up to her nose. "To argue against the point you were making," she continued. "You will notice that two of the reports submitted by Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Yeager did not contain traces of that hesitation. In fact, it's due to their insubordination that the 2 were temporarily imprisoned as their punishment."

"Yes I've read that," Zackley admitted. "Apparently you weren't present during that time of Mikasa and Eren's acts of insubordination, Commander." He turned towards Levi. "Is it true that those two soldiers attacked you?"

Levi tore his eyes away from Hanji. "The gloomy female attacked," Levi admitted. "The Yeager brat nearly stood in my way."

"I see," Zackley admitted. "So these two were the only ones that opposed you reviving Erwin. And although they failed at stopping you, Erwin still was left to die?"

Levi's fists clenched at those words, his demeanor darkening. 

"I believe Levi has already made his story and decision clear." Hanji interrupted. "And seeing as I was present during the next part, I am free to speak regarding the matter. You see, Erwin was not just Commander of the Survey Corps. Levi and I both knew Erwin before he accepted that position. We were friends. So by accusing Levi of "allowing" Erwin to die and having me stand idly by to accept the position is a personal insult to us."

"General Zackley," Hanji addressed him firmly. "You were present during Erwin's hearing when we exposed the false king and his corrupt court. Wasn't it made clear that a priority in our military should never be for personal gain? Don't you think that by reviving Erwin, that would have been for personal gain, coming from a friend and comrade's perspective?"

"Yes...I suppose." Zackley admitted. "But Erwin was more than just your comrade. He was a valuable asset to the Survey Corps-"

"As is Armin Arlert." Hanji cut in. "He may be younger and more inexperienced than Erwin. But less than a year in the Survey Corps and Armin has been the one responsible for discovering the Female Titan's identity, the initiator of the plan to plug up the hole in Wall Maria, and the one who discovered Reiner's hiding location over at Shiganshina." Hanji lowered her stare and her voice softened. "Erwin was a great man and was an excellent leader. But he did his time. Who were we...who was Levi...to be the one to drag him back? Can you shoulder such a decision? Could any of you?" Hanji asked, addressing the audience. "Armin's actions that day also helped save our lives. His sacrifice allowed Eren to defeat the Colossal Titan and gave us an upper hand on the enemy to turn the odds in our favor. He showed and continues to show great promise. And he deserves a chance to prove himself."

The audience murmured amongst themselves while Hanji stole a glance back at Levi. He wore his stoic expression but allowed himself a softer gaze when meeting her eyes. It took much restraint from himself not to crack with emotion as he felt his admiration for her intensify even more. 

"Levi," Zackley addressed, after deliberating with some nearby members. "Please stand." 

Levi did as he was told. 

"In light of the evidence of your testimony, the reports, and Commander Hanji's words, we find your decision to use the serum on Armin Arlert over the late Erwin Smith justified for the better good of the Survey Corps and the citizens here." Zackely cleared his throat. "However, it's been requested that we ask that you repent for the severity of your decision by assisting the Military Police with some current issues affecting the city...like a community service."

"What?" Levi growled incredulously. "I refu-"

"That is, of course, if the Commander of the Survey Corps agrees." Zackley continued, a glint of mischief in his eyes. 

"Of course," Hanji agreed with a salute as Levi shot a death glare in her direction. "If you'll excuse me," she requested. "I have another matter to attend to."

"Dismissed," Zackley replied with a curt nod. Then, he turned towards Levi. "Levi, if you don't mind staying a few more minutes so we can discuss the details of your temporary assistance with the Military Police..." his voice trailed off as Hanji left the hearing room. Hands in her coat pocket, she looked towards the sky and let out a sigh of relief. 

  
  


"Levi," Nile Dalk greeted, extending his hand.

Levi merely looked at it before closing his eyes and sighing. "What is it you need me to help with?"

"A couple of things that waste the Military Police's time, more than anything," Nile admitted. 

"But I have an old friend of Erwin's that could really use your assistance."

At the mention of Erwin's name, Levi's ears perked up. "What?" Levi inquired, having his interest now piqued. 

"Stop by tomorrow morning at 9am. I'll personally introduce you to him and he can explain everything to you." Nile concluded. 

"Fine," Levi agreed, still annoyed by the fact that he had to agree to such a task. "Are we done?"

"Yes," Nile replied with a smirk. 

Levi sighed in relief and began walking towards the exit. As he opened the door, he saw Hanji standing at the bottom of the steps, staring up at him.

"What the hell was that all about?" he grumbled at her, descending the stairs. 

"Eh? You didn't like my speech?" Hanji asked innocently.

"Why'd you agree to me helping the Military Police?" Levi snapped. "You know those lazy shits will find any excuse to pass their work onto somebody else."

Hanji laughed. "It'll do you some good to get away from your duties as Survey Corps Captain."

"So you..." Levi paused to think. "What? You wanted some space from me?"

"Well you were kind of hovering," Hanji admitted with a grin.

"Unbelievable," Levi sighed in disappointment, hanging his head.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to be present at my hearing today?" Levi asked, changing the subject. He walked towards the street to wait for a carriage, prompting Hanji to follow alongside him.

"Didn't want to upset you," Hanji replied. 

"Why would that upset me?" Levi asked. 

"I didn't want you to think that your troubles would concern me," Hanji answered. "I figured if I told you I would be there, you would get upset with my involvement, thinking I have enough on my plate."

Levi remained silent, contemplating her words. She was right. If he knew she was going to go, he would have argued with her and asked that she remain at headquarters to handle her business there.

"So what did Nile ask you to do?" Hanji asked.

"I'm not sure," Levi answered. "He asked me to help an old friend of Erwin's. But I don't know who he is, yet. I'll find out tomorrow morning when I return."

  
  



	5. Old Friends

Morning had come and Levi was on his way out of his room. He paused to give a quick kiss to Hanji's head as she lied groggily on his bed. 

"You know we have to stop spending the night in each other's room," Hanji groaned as she stretched out. 

Levi clicked his tongue, and Hanji knew he didn't want to talk about it as he muttered "I'm running late."

"I'm serious," Hanji protested, sitting up and hugging her knees. "One night, there's going to be a situation and someone's going to look for one of us and either not find us there or in the room of the other person!"

Levi turned away from her, annoyed, but Hanji stood to her feet and approached him. "I know we're still going through a recovery process and only have each other but we shouldn't make that an excuse for our relationship to compromise our positions as officers." She wrapped her arms around him from behind and held him. 

"We'll discuss this later," Levi muttered, relenting slightly and patting her arm as a way of telling her to let go. 

"Or maybe sooner," she replied. "I'm meeting with our superiors to discuss the possible changes to the Survey Corps uniform I've considered."

"Wait what changes?" Levi asked, confused, whirling around to face her. 

"We'll discuss this later," Hanji teased, wagging her finger in his face. Levi tsked and batted her hand away, turning to leave. "Maybe we can meet for a lunch date while in the city?" she called, only half serious. 

"With the MPs in charge of my time temporarily, I doubt it," Levi muttered before closing the door behind him. 

Levi took a carriage into the inner city of Sina. Once there, he met immediately with Nile Dalk of the Military Police.

"That's odd," Nile greeted. "I expected someone like you to arrive early."

"And extend the time we spend together?" Levi asked sarcastically.

"Come," Nile beckoned to Levi as he stepped foot into another carriage. He noticed Levi gave him a confused look. "The man you're supposed to help is not located in Sina but in Rose district. 

The two sat awkwardly across from one another with Levi doing his best to avoid eye contact with Nile. "I informed you that this man was a good friend of Erwin's right?" he asked.

"You did," Levi affirmed, looking out the window of the carriage. 

"I truly am sorry for the loss of that man," Nile added quietly.

"Is accusing me of purposely letting him die yours and the head's way of showing it?" Levi snapped back, glaring at Nile. 

"You may have forgotten but Erwin and I were friends too," Nile answered coolly. "And we went back, way before you came into the picture." It was Nile's turn to look away. "We went through much together...I miss him terribly," he added quietly. 

Levi's eyes widened slightly before looking away too. He said nothing as they both sat in silence for the remainder of the trip. 

* * *

The carriage came to a halt and both men stepped outside. Levi followed behind Nile as they walked another block towards a slightly shabby looking store. 

Nile opened the door and a bell jingled as it did so. He and Levi entered and the door closed behind them. Levi's eyes took a moment to adjust to the noticeably darker interior. Dust lined some of the counters where some items that were hard to make out were displayed behind the glass. Levi cringed in disgust. After another moment, the sound of footsteps approached and a deep voice boomed. "Nile is that you?"

"It is!" Nile greeted. "I've brought along someone to help as promised."

A hearty laugh followed as an older man in his late 30s to early 40s stepped into the lit part of the store. He was a burly man with a thick red beard and mustache. However, his hairline had started to recede. His green yellow eyes twinkled behind years of developed wrinkles. He was what you would stereotypically describe as resembling a lumberjack. 

"I never knew that the famous Captain Levi would be the one to help me with my troubles!" he announced cheerily. He extended his hand towards Levi. "Arthur. Arthur Goodsman."

Levi extended his hand hesitantly, anticipating this large man to grip his hand roughly and shake him out of his wits. However, the man's grip was surprisingly gentle. Levi squinted at the man for a second before speaking, "Wait...Goodsman...as in the renowned leathersmith?"

"Well I don't know about renown," Arthur replied, with a modest laugh. 

"Your craftsmanship was very sought after!" Levi replied with nostalgia. "Back in the Underground, many merchants were trying to pass off counterfeit works, advertising your name."

The man smiled. "Well I guess my work precedes me. I'm your man." He gave a heavy sigh, gesturing to some of the pieces he had on display behind him on the display counters. 

"Unfortunately, my work has declined. I'm not half the man I used to be."

"Why's that?" Levi asked, curious. 

"The fall of Wall Maria," Arthur replied solemnly. "My shop was located in that district. Once we were ordered to evacuate, I had to leave behind all my pristine tools, my beloved shop...it hasn't been easy rebuilding from scratch."

Levi awkwardly regarded him in silence as Arthur hung his head in despair. "Sooo," Levi pried. "Why am I here?"

Arthur paused to look at Nile before regarding Levi once more. "I've finally saved up enough to expand a shop close to the size of my other one. I just need to retrieve my old tools and lost work."

Levi gave a grim smile, realizing he had guessed where this was going before Arthur even answered. "You want me to retrieve them for you."

"The land still isn't clear from Titans." Arthur replied apologetically. "But now that it's sealed, it's getting better right?"

"We're not sure," Levi answered. "But it should stop any more from coming in."

After a moment of silence, Nile asked. "But who knows how long that can take...So, can you help?"

Levi pondered the idea for a moment, weighing the dangers versus the odds of success. He honestly wanted to decline and forget this whole accord he made with the Military Police. Then, he remembered what Nile had told him earlier and asked Arthur, "You're an old friend of Erwin Smith's?"

Arthur chuckled fondly. "Erwin and I go way back." He gave a slight frown and sighed. "I wish I could have seen him before he left on that last mission."

"Daddy!" a girl's voice called. A young redhead girl with bright green eyes bounded into the room, her pigtails bouncing. "Daddy!" She ran behind her father shyly when she noticed Levi and Nile were in the room with them. 

"Excuse me," Arthur said softly to the other men. He looked down at his daughter. "What is it, honey?"

The young girl regarded Levi and Nile nervously before looking up at her father. "Lunch is ready," she murmured quietly. 

Arthur thanked her and gestured for her to go on. Then, he turned to Levi and Nile. "Can I interest you in some tea? My daughter makes the best cup."

Nile looked down at Levi who sighed softly. "It better be the best cup," he said with a shrug. 

* * *

Hanji walked with her head to the clouds, mentally exhausted from her trip to the capital. The good news was that she was able to get her plans approved to start redesigning the Survey Corps uniform. So now all she had to do was design some rough drafts and start using a model for some measurements. 

"Hanji san!" a voice called, interrupting her thoughts.

Hanji looked up and saw Flegel Reeves sitting at a local coffee shop, waving her down.

"Flegel!" Hanji greeted, walking towards him. 

"It's been quite a while," Flegel beamed at her. "Care to join me for coffee? My treat!"

"Of course!" Hanji replied, entering the patio area of the shop. Flegel stood up and pulled out a chair for her to sit down. Flegel signaled for the server to come over and placed an order for another cup of coffee. 

"It's good to see you," Flegel continued after sitting down. "I'm sorry about the loss of many of your comrades," he said with a solemn face. "However," he added with a smile. "I'm glad to see you back. Commander looks good on you."

Hanji offered a polite smile. She thanked the server who handed her the cup of coffee. She began to add some sugar and cream while Flegel continued to regard her. 

"So I heard the news from the local paper," Flegel went on. "This comes as quite a shock."

Hanji hummed in response. "Yes, we definitely wanted the public to know. You and I both know that keeping the people in the dark is the wrong thing to do." She took a sip of her coffee. "So how about you Flegel? How has the Reeves business been since you took over?"

"Excellent!" Flegel answered. "The people really trust me and I've kept my promise on making sure they are fed and well cared for."

"That's great!" Hanji replied. "I knew you would do well! Your father must be very proud."

Flegel blushed and fiddled with his hands. "Well it's all thanks to you, Hanji san."

"Eh?" Hanji paused before taking another sip of her coffee. 

"You're the one that snapped me out of my hopelessness and encouraged me to do what I had to." Flegel answered. "That's how I know that you're going to be an incredible commander of the Survey Corps."

Hanji blushed and thanked him. Flegel cleared his throat nervously before speaking again. "So, what brings the new Commander Zoe out here?"

"I was seeking approval from the heads on our uniform redesign," Hanji admitted. 

"Redesign?" Flegel confirmed. "What's changing about it?"

"To be honest, it's still in the works," Hanji replied, clasping the coffee cup to warm her hands. 

"But until it's at the final stage, it is classified," she added with a smile. 

"I understand," Flegel assured. "I'm out here getting some inspiration. I heard this coffee shop is pretty good. Once the area is cleared of Titans, I'm looking forward to expanding to the Wall Maria district. And coffee and tea sounds like a good start."

Hanji smiled warmly. "I know someone who would enjoy that very much."

"Captain Levi?" Flegel asked.

Hanji stiffened and gave Flegel a questionable look. "How did you know?"

Flegel chuckled. "Levi's not only known for Humanity's Strongest. He's also a well known tea connoisseur. Before my father passed, apparently he and Levi had struck a deal about getting some of the more finer teas to the Survey Corps. As my father's successor, I am to honor his agreements."

Hanji laughed. "That sounds like something Levi would have done. I think if Levi wasn't a soldier in the Survey Corps, he would have chosen a quiet life as a tea shop owner."

"Who knows?" Flegel said. "Maybe when he's ready to retire, he could enjoy that life after all."

Hanji grew quiet in thought. Retirement seemed such a long way from now. And at this point almost impossible. Flegel noticed her demeanor. "Hanji san?" he asked. "What are the Survey Corps plans now?"

Hanji thought for a moment, considering her words. "The kids speak of an ocean...if there is one...and if there really are other people out there trying to get rid of us...then our next battle is out there."

"You really think the people out there consider us devils?" Flegel asked. 

"I don't know. If our kind really are the only ones who can turn into Titans," Hanji considered. "Then I can see why they would think that of us." She sighed sadly. "Things were so much easier when it was just Titans that were after us. With other humans, things just became even more complicated."

Flegel smiled sympathetically and reached his hand across the table to place it atop one of Hanji's. "I have faith in you Hanji san," he offered. "Whatever happens, you will have my support."

* * *

Levi took another appreciative sip of the tea in his cup.  _ This really is a good cup of tea, _ Levi thought. He sat at a table with Nile, Arthur, and his two daughters. The one who had entered the room appeared to be ten years of age. While the other was around eight. 

"Erwin and I were schoolmates," Arthur began, knowing that Levi was still waiting on his explanation on how he knew the former commander. "We had actually planned on joining the training corps together." Arthur smiled nostalgically. "Erwin was always full of dreams and ideas, talking about the things his father told him. But most of all, he was determined to find out the truth."

Levi nodded.  _ That was Erwin all right _ .

"The time was coming closer when we were going to sign ourselves up," Arthur continued. "However...I met Sarah." He nodded towards his daughters. "Their mother. And you know how things go, I fell hard for her. I knew that I couldn't leave her."

"We were married quite quickly. And I wanted to find a way to safely provide for her and our first one along the way," he continued, gesturing towards his oldest daughter. "So, I taught myself the trade of being a fine leathersmith. It wasn't as noble as Erwin's choice in protecting the people within the walls, but he never held it against me. In fact he gave me his blessing and continued to stay in contact with me."

"Even after the fall of Wall Maria," Nile chimed in. "It was Erwin who made sure that us at the Military Police helped relocate Arthur and his family."

Levi regarded them both in silence. He looked towards the two daughters, who were watching him with both admiration and caution. "What happened to their mother?" Levi asked. 

Arthur gave a sorrowful look. "During the fall of Wall Maria...during the panic...we lost her." His oldest daughter patted his arm comfortingly. He smiled and held her hand. "We've been rebuilding the best we could," he added. "But it's not the same without my supplies from the old shop."

Levi looked at them sympathetically. "It can't be helped," he murmured. He looked at Arthur with a firm stare. "I'll do it." 

The large man bellowed out a cheer and stood up to hug Levi. He backed away instantly in a panic. Arthur must have caught on, so he extended his hand instead. Levi hesitantly took it and immediately regretted it when he was tossed up and down from the man's force of his handshake while he was thanked profusely. Levi eventually managed to tear his hand away from the man's death grip as he grumbled "don't mention it."

"I'm going to need assistance for this mission," Levi stated to Nile.

"You don't want to use those from your own regiment?" Nile asked, confused. 

"The nerve," Levi growled. "After what they all just went through, you expect me to take them back out so soon?"

Nile nodded. "Understood. I think I can spare some of the Garrison soldiers who serve in Wall Rose who used to serve under Maria jurisdiction." He signaled for Levi to follow him outside. "Come on, I'll arrange a meeting with some of them." Nile turned to Arthur. "Well then, I guess we'll be leaving."    


Arthur took one of Nile's hands in both of his. "Thank you, thank you so much again Nile."

Nile nodded and walked outside with Levi in tow. "There're many soldiers that were relocated to Rose from Maria after its fall." Nile explained as he walked towards one of the Wall Rose Garrison bases in the city. "However, there are a few that I believe would be best suited for this mission you plan. High marks during their training, knew the Maria district well, and would be able to prove useful to you if...problems were to arise. I can get you their dossiers-"

Nile was about to continue when he noticed that Levi's attention was somewhere else. Nile paused to look in the direction that Levi was looking when he spotted Hanji. 

"Ah, Hanji Zoe of the Survey Corps," Nile mused. Levi stiffened slightly but kept his eyes curiously on Hanji as he watched her sipping coffee at the nearby shop. He noted Flegel Reeves sitting opposite of her, hand resting on hers. After a moment, Hanji smiled at him, but took her hand away to hold her coffee cup with both hands. 

"Already has an established business relationship with the Reeves company. That’s a good start. As Erwin's successor, I have high hopes for her," Nile continued. "Erwin always spoke highly of that woman."

"Aah," Levi agreed. "She doesn't seem to have much confidence in her newly given position, but she just needs to have faith in herself."

"That could be a scary thing," Nile added.

"Why's that?" Levi asked, taking his eyes off Hanji to glare at Nile. Nile continued to walk in the direction they were originally headed. Levi cast one more glance at Hanji before following after him. 

"Don't you think one needs to have confidence in themselves before taking on a leadership position?" Nile asked. 

"It's not like she asked to be put in this predicament," Levi snarled. "But I have faith in her. The Survey Corps wouldn't be anywhere near where it's at if it weren't for Hanji's research and ideals."

"Former Titan scientist, right?" Nile clarified.

"Yes," Levi replied. "Not much time for that anymore," he added almost sadly, thinking about how much Hanji loved fussing over those monstrosities. Another pang of guilt hit him, knowing he was at fault for Hanji having to put her research aside for her duties. He noticed lately that Hanji had lacked her usual...spunk. Levi considered the word to describe her usual manner...goofy? She didn't display that much anymore. She was still herself, but now more serious. He wasn't sure whether he actually liked that or not. 

"A feisty one too," Nile recalled. "You and Hanji were always being smartasses at our fundraiser events."

Levi's lips tugged into a slight smile in remembrance. "Yeah but unlike me, she had every right to be a smartass. Who do you think was responsible for the design of those Titan guillotines located on the walls? And the fall of the corrupt MPs under Kenny Ackerman?"

"Wasn't he a relative of yours?" Nile asked curiously, now that Levi mentioned the name. 

"Seeing as you've recently been discovered as an Ackerman yourself?"

"We're getting off topic," Levi brushed off. "Hanji also designed the thunder spears used during our battle in Shiganshina, which without we wouldn't be able to defeat any of the Titan Shifters."

Nile chuckled. "I'm well aware of Hanji Zoe's accomplishments," Nile said to calm Levi. "Only time will tell how she will fare in her position. And if Erwin trusted her, I do too."

Levi relaxed himself at his words and continued to walk alongside him. They were now a few feet away from the entrance to the Garrison base.

"Erwin also mentioned," Nile went on, his tone underlying humor. "That you two always worked well together. Which is odd since I've heard you don't really work well with anyone aside from Erwin."

Levi glared at Nile but said nothing. He stood outside the door, waiting for Nile to open it. 

"Sounds like you have a soft spot for her," Nile implied with a mischievous smile as he knocked on the door. 

"Are we going to stand around all day shooting the shit, or are we going to meet these soldiers?" growled Levi, turning his head away to hide his embarrassment.

* * *

It was already the late afternoon. Levi had just returned back to the Survey Corps headquarters after meeting with the Garrison soldiers that Nile was raving about. Levi had picked 3 of them to accompany him on his mission. Looking over their files, he knew right away that he wanted the best of the best of them. Levi had intended on traveling at night to avoid running into any potential Titans. But, circumstances could always change and he wanted to make sure he had soldiers with him that he could trust if things go ary. He was to meet with them the following day to go over Levi's plan. However, they wouldn't take off to Wall Maria territory until nightfall. 

Levi made an annoyed face. The whole time he was headed back, he couldn't shake his head from the thought of Flegel taking Hanji's hand.  _ What was that about? _ he thought to himself angrily.  _ How dare he think it's ok to touch my woman! _ Levi then considered for a moment how he shouldn't be too angry. It's not like his and Hanji's relationship was publicly known. With both of their positions in the military, it would be forbidden to be in a relationship such as theirs. 

He finally made it to Hanji's door and knocked. Given no answer, he called to no avail. Opening up the door, he realized that Hanji wasn't there.  _ Maybe she's in her new office _ , Levi considered and made his way over. 

When he arrived, the door was wide open so he walked right in. "Oi," Levi called. "Hanji-" he paused when he fully entered her office. She was kneeling down with some measuring tape fussing over Jean. Jean sported an all black uniform, doing his best to balance as Hanji pushed and posed him into different positions. He turned and noticed Levi. "Oh Levi Heichou!" Jean greeted. "Good afternoon!"

"What the hell is going on?" Levi asked, genuinely confused. 

"Just doing some measurements," Hanji answered, still fussing over Jean. She didn't even break her concentration to acknowledge Levi. 

"I'll come back," Levi muttered, hiding his disappointment.  As he turned to leave, Hanji called out to him. "Levi, just hold on a moment!" She began to scribble some notes down in her book. "I'm almost done, just have a seat."

"Fine," Levi agreed and sulked over to one of the chairs near Hanji's desk. He sat down crossing his legs and arms and watched them impatiently. 

"That's all for now," Hanji announced with a bright smile as she closed her book shut. "Thank you for your time, Jean!"

"You're welcome Hanji San," Jean replied with a shy smile. "Can I take this off now? It's a bit tight."

"Oh!" Hanji cried forgetfully. "Yes! I'm sorry!"

Jean glanced at Levi and then back at Hanji awkwardly. "Can I...do this in my room?"

Hanji laughed. "Yes, yes. I'm sorry Jean. I need the fabric back though so please take care when removing it and get it back to me as soon as possible."

Jean nodded and gave a salute to both Hanji and Levi before exiting the office, closing the door behind him. 

* * *

Once the door closed, Levi looked at Hanji. "What the hell was that about?"

"I got the approval to update the Survey Corps uniform," Hanji answered, gathering some of the surrounding supplies to put them away. She walked to and fro putting her materials away before joining Levi at her desk with her notebook. "Want to see?"

"Should I be concerned?" Levi teased.

Hanji ignored him and opened the notebook to the final draft of her finished uniform. She looked at Levi expectantly. "What do you think?"

"Uhhh," he drew out, not sure what to say. "There's...a lot of metal."

"Right," Hanji replied. "Iron. More durable and will prevent some bone breakage during accidents and falls." She began flipping through the pages to show the different aspects of her uniform design. 

"Why are you considering changing the uniform again?" Levi asked, still confused. 

"We're no longer fighting just Titans, remember?" Hanji argued. "After this recent discovery, it looks like we'll be taking on people too." She thumbed through the next page. "So I made the uniform black for stealth, which wouldn't have mattered much for fighting Titans." She flipped through the rest of it quickly. "I've switched the positions of the blades so that they're not throwing us off by facing perpendicular to our legs. I've added a feature to holster the thunder spears and-"

"Wait," Levi cut her off and pointed to the guns on the sketch. "Isn't this the design that those special Military Police used?"

"Yes," Hanji concurred. "Although it had a flawed design by facing both the gun and the ODM trigger in the same direction, I figured it worked best for facing off against people. At least we'll still have access to our blades."

Levi took a moment to take in all the sketches. Hanji watched him expectantly for a response. Finally he glanced at her. "No more jackets and cloaks?"

Hanji hesitated, hoping for a better response. "Well...no..." she replied. "The jacket would hinder our aerodynamics and slow us down dramatically...Seriously Levi? Of all things to point out-"

"I still want to wear the cloak," Levi insisted. 

Hanji paused before snorting. "Fine," she said, stifling a laugh. "Wear the cloak if you wish."

"Do you find me funny?" Levi asked, growing slightly irritated. 

A knock interrupted them and Hanji called to whoever it was to enter. 

Jean stepped in with the prototype that he was wearing earlier now folded in his hands. "Here you go Hanji san," he announced. "I made sure to take extra care not to disturb anything."

He handed it to her and saluted to both her and Levi before leaving. 

"Why Jean?" Levi asked suddenly, his eyes trained at the now closed door to Hanji's office.

"Eh?" Hanji replied, confused. 

"No..." Levi replied, getting flustered. "It's nothing."

"Well I would have used you but I needed a..." Hanji paused, not wanting to continue her reasoning. 

"Needed a what?" Levi asked testily, giving her an icy glare. "A taller subject?"

"I never said that," Hanji quickly answered. "I just figured Jean was an average build for a typical recruit."

"Why didn't you choose a female model?" Levi argued. 

Hanji paused before a smile formed in realization. Finally, she answered, "Fearful of me cheating with one of the younger men in our group? I'm hurt Levi. Do you take me as the unfaithful type?"

"No," Levi replied, before averting his eyes awkwardly. 

"Neh," Hanji called softly, approaching the brooding Captain. She reached out her hand to caress his face gently. Levi closed his eyes, appreciating her touch before opening his eyes to regard hers. Remembering the occurrence from earlier, he gently took her hand and held it in his grasp firmly. He planted his lips on the top of her hand. Gradually, he began kissing around her hand to her palm. 

Hanji watched him with a confused, embarrassed expression, wondering why he was being overly affectionate. While holding her gaze with blushed cheeks, Levi began to take some of Hanji's fingers and slowly lick them before taking them in his mouth. Hanji suddenly realized what this was all about. "You saw me with Flegel Reeves today," Hanji stated, rather than asked. She winced as Levi sharply bit her on her ring finger, leaving teeth marks. 

"You're mine! You promised yourself to me, remember?" Levi growled as Hanji shook her hand vigorously to alleviate the pain. "Why didn't you tell me you were meeting with him?" Levi asked, his displeasure now showing. 

"It wasn't planned," Hanji reasoned, kissing her finger where Levi had just bit her. "I was on my way through town when I ran into him. He invited me for a cup of coffee."

"Why did he take your hand?" Levi cut to the point.

"Were you spying on me?" Hanji teased.

"No," denied Levi. "I just happened to be passing by while he did that. So why did he take your hand?"

Hanji watched Levi in amusement but decided against further antagonizing him. "Did you see the part where I pulled my hand away?"

"I did," Levi answered shortly. "But that doesn't explain why-"

"I don't know what made him do it," Hanji admitted, growing impatient with this discussion. "I suppose he's just grateful to me seeing as I was the one who helped him gain his confidence to take his father's place. I don't know him well. He can just be an affectionate guy for all I know."

"He can have feelings for you for all I know," Levi shot back, as he crossed his arms, a pout forming on his lips. 

Hanji smiled. With one of her fingers, she lifted his chin up so that he could look at her. She captured his pouty lips in a warm kiss. Levi's eyes widened in surprise as Hanji had caught him off guard. "Stop being jealous already," Hanji ordered playfully. It was her turn to be caught in surprise as Levi embraced her tightly, nuzzling his head against her chest. Hanji laughed softly before returning the hug, listening to him sigh in relief. "Why don't you just tell me you want some attention?"

"You know I'm shit with words...plus I go on a dangerous mission tomorrow," Levi mumbled into her chest. "Shouldn't you be concerned?"

"Wha?" Hanji cried in surprise. "Concerned for you? Not the infamous Levi Ackerman-" she stopped when she caught Levi scowling at her. "Okay, okay," she assured, with a pat to Levi's head. "Why don't you tell me about this dangerous mission that the MPs have you doing."

Levi filled her in on the whole story from meeting with Arthur Goodsman to the plan that they proposed on retrieving his supplies from Wall Maria area. 

Hanji pondered her thoughts for a moment. "I see," she finally spoke. "I'm a bit worried, but I know you can handle it."

"You really just want me to give you some space, just admit it," Levi grumbled. Hanji made an attempt to console him but he pulled away. "I better start preparing the meals for this evening. It is my turn after all." Hanji watched him quietly as he walked out of the room.


	6. Propositions

"Waa!" Sasha cried in excitement, food still in her mouth. "This is so good!" 

"It is!" Connie agreed, mouth equally full of the evening's meal. He waved eagerly to the Captain, who sat alone at a nearby table. "Thank you Heichou!"

Jean cringed at his comrade's embarrassing behavior as he walked towards them, tray in hand. He was passing the captain and nodded at him. "It does seem delicious; Thank you Captain Levi."

Levi nodded at them and poked around at his food. Eren watched him and then turned to look at Mikasa. "Should we invite him to our table?" he asked. "The Captain doesn't deserve to be alone while eating such a good meal that he himself prepared." Mikasa didn't return Eren's concern, not personally fond of the Captain herself. 

"Captain Levi seems to like being alone, from what I noticed," she replied, not wanting Eren to invite him over.

"SInce I've joined, he's always seemed like a loner," Floch admitted, scarfing down some potatoes on his plate. 

"That's not true," Armin argued. "Since we've been in the Survey Corps, when Heichou is not alone, he was either with Erwin or-"

A tray was set down in front of Levi, not even phasing his brooding. "Hanji," Armin said, finishing his sentence. He smiled knowingly. It didn't seem to be obvious to the other Survey Corps members, but since Armin was very observant, he sensed the two's close relationship. 

"Still mad?" Hanji asked before sitting down in front of Levi. He grunted, not making eye contact with her.  _ Don't look, don't look _ Levi warned himself, not wanting to engage her, knowing he would let her win if he did. Hanji continued to stare at him with her doe eyes, waiting for a response. Feeling the pressure, Levi finally gave her a side glance to see her pleading eyes, or eye.  _ Dammit _ , he thought, feeling himself soften instantly. He sighed and shook his head. Hanji brightened and smiled widely at him, causing Levi's cheeks to brighten slightly. 

"The food you made is delicious Levi!" she exclaimed, her mouth full of whatever mixture was on her plate. Levi looked away, muttering something that sounded like the word 'thanks'. She continued to ramble on to him about how horrible the food came out when it was her turn to cook.

"Hanji san sure loves to bug Captain Levi," Floch admitted with an irritated tone. 

"Hanji san doesn't bug Captain Levi," Jean shot back. "The two work well together; always have."

"You think because we lost Erwin," Eren asked quietly, "Levi and Hanji hang out more because they only have each other?"

The soldiers were quiet for a moment, having touched a still sensitive subject. 

"Levi Heichou and Hanji san have always been close," Mikasa chimed in, looking over at the two veteran soldiers. She turned back around to focus on her food. 

"It's funny," Eren admitted. "For being so different, they sure want to be around each other often, huh?" 

Mikasa and Armin locked eyes. A moment of knowing passed between them but neither wanted to say anything to the other soldiers. "I think it's nice that they get along so well, despite their differences," Armin admitted. 

"Yeah," Jean agreed. "Kind of like us, right?"

"Speak for yourself," Eren shot at Jean teasingly. The two began to bicker and the others chimed in.

"Noisy brats," Levi muttered as he glared across the table at them. He looked up in surprise as Hanji stood up. "Oi, where are you going?"

"Thanks for the food, Levi," Hanji answered with a grateful smile. "I'm already full. I think I'm going to retire to my quarters early this evening. There's a bottle of wine I was given as a gift this afternoon that I want to enjoy." She gave him a playful wink that only he could see. Levi's face grew hot before looking down with determination that the other soldiers didn't catch on to his bashfulness. "Fine," Levi replied quietly. "Good night."

Armin watched Hanji walk off before taking advantage of the brief silence between the earlier bickering. "I think it's nice that they get along so well. I wonder if..." he lowered his voice so that Levi wouldn't be able to hear. "there's something going on between them."

"Eh??" Sasha cried out before Connie shushed her. He regarded Armin. "Ah, now that you mention it..." he turned towards Eren. "There was that time when Hanji san was conducting those Titan experiments on you, right Eren?"

Eren looked at Connie. "Yeah, but what about then?"

"Remember when Hanji san got so excited over one of the experiment successes that she kissed your cheek?" Connie asked. Mikasa's face darkened before muttering that she remembered. 

"Ah, that's right," Eren answered, recalling the memory a bit awkwardly. 

"Heichou seemed to dump a lot of chores on you afterwards," Connie continued. "More than usual. And the way he glared at you was much more intense than usual. It was almost as if he was jealous, huh?"

Eren shuddered at the memory. "He sure was a lot harder on me that day," he remarked. 

* * *

A few minutes later, Levi was already at Hanji's room door knocking. He was given permission to enter and he stepped in, closing the door behind him. He found Hanji sitting down at the edge of her bed, looking over some documents, a glass of red wine in her hand. Levi approached her, sulking. "Want a glass?" she offered him. He merely shook his head before dropping to the floor in front of her. He sat down in front of Hanji and wrapped his arms around her legs, resting his head on top of her thighs. 

"Was that a gift from Flegel?" he grumbled, turning his head to look up at her. 

"Yes," Hanji replied, leaning over to her nightstand to deposit the documents she was looking over. "So you know it's the good stuff." 

Levi merely made a noise, indicating he heard her. However, he seemed more interested in her bare legs. "Why are you wearing such revealing shorts right now?" he asked with an annoyed tone. His hands softly skimmed across the length of her legs, noting the warmth and soft feel of her skin.

"Um," Hanji thought aloud. "Because I'm in my room, I'm supposed to be retiring for the night. It's not like I'm parading around in the open with-Hey!" she cried out as Levi bit her gently on her inner thigh. She looked down to glare at him but was met with his piercing stare, pupils darkening with passionate hunger. He took his eyes off hers for a moment to continue to caress her legs with his hands. Levi never told her but he had a weak spot for her legs. Although they were toned and scarred from the ODM belts like a typical soldier's, he appreciated their length and slenderness. Plus, he loved how much more softer her legs were around the thighs than his. He began to trace his tongue up her leg to her thigh, pausing to gently bite certain areas, before kissing the same spot softly. 

"Oh, I see what you're up to," Hanji smiled playfully. "You want attention. But you're going to have to wait until I'm done with my wine," she teased while swirling the contents in the glass. She eyed him mischievously while slowly taking a sip. "Such good wine shouldn't go to waste." 

Levi growled and pushed himself up from the floor to settle next to Hanji on her bed. Levi's demeanor darkened as Hanji continued to drink her wine tantalizingly slow. With a huff of determination, he gripped her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap, giving her no choice but to wrap her legs around him so she wouldn't fall backwards and onto the floor. "Somebody's impatient," Hanji mused, gripping onto his shoulder with her free hand. With her other hand still gripping the glass, she waved it in front of his face. "Are you sure you don't want to taste it? I know you're not much of a drinker..." Hanji trailed off while taking another sip of the wine. As she drank in a larger amount of the contents, Levi lurched forward, using one of his hands to take Hanji's chin in his grasp. He kissed her hard, causing her to spill the wine from her lips. 

Along with running down her jaw and neck, the wine had splashed down the front of Hanji's shirt as she cried out in alarm. "Don't do that! You'll make a mess, you clean freak!" she gasped once he broke apart from her. Levi smiled devilishly while licking his lips. "You're right," he murmured, his voice husky and sultry. "Delicious."

Hanji gulped nervously and Levi took advantage of her hesitation to take the glass out of her hand and place it on the nearby nightstand. He took her chin in his fingers again, more delicately. Hanji finally gave in and leaned closer, resting her lips on his softly. Levi ran his tongue along her lips, tasting whatever wine still lingered. Their lips met more urgently, pressing firmly against one another as Hanji's hands moved upwards to caress her fingers through the strands of Levi's silky hair. The grip he had on Hanji's shirt tightened with need. 

They pulled apart to catch their breath. Levi's attention was brought down to Hanji's shirt. Where the wine had spilled, it had soaked over her left breast and he could see her hardened nipple pushing through the fabric. "You're not wearing a bra?" he asked, surprised. 

"I told you," Hanji reminded him, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm retiring for the night."

Levi continued to stare for a moment before leaning forward and planting a kiss on Hanji's jawline. Making sure to follow the trail of spilled wine, his lips slowly dragged lower down her neck and rested on her collarbone. His hand crawled up her chest before gripping her breast gently. With his index finger, he traced around her hardened nipple before pushing it upwards. 

Hanji's cheeks flushed as some soft moans escaped her mouth. Levi continued to tease her nipple as he continued to kiss her collar region. His other hand began to unfasten the first few buttons of her shirt. 

Hanji cried out in both shock and pleasure as Levi's lips suddenly caught the nipple he was teasing. He sucked softly through her shirt, realizing that he was still able to taste the wine since it had soaked through the fabric. He sucked harder, pulling Hanji's nipple and breast with his lips. He smiled as Hanji let out a yelp of pleasure. The wine had dribbled into his mouth as he continued his torture on her. Levi enjoyed the fact that Hanji was getting off on the attention, feeling her hips begin to grind on his. 

When Levi finally pulled away, he drank in her appearance. She looked completely disheveled and turned on. Her glasses were crooked, cheeks completely flushed and she was looking at him with the utmost desire in her eyes. All the while panting for air. 

As much as he wanted to continue, a thought entered his head. "Hanji," he murmured. She practically shuddered at the way he said her name. "What is-" she began to answer but stopped when Levi leaned forward, his face a mere inch or two from hers. His eyes bore into hers with an intense stare. "I'll be back for more."

He stood up after pulling her off him and settling her back down on her bed. Hanji stared at him, not sure if she fully understood what was going on. "Wait...what?" she asked, blinking her eyes to clear her of her confusion. 

Levi began to straighten out his clothes. 

"You-you're leaving?" she asked incredulously. 

"It's my promise to you," Levi replied. "So you know I'll return from my mission." He turned to leave, a smirk on his face. The door slowly closed behind him to cut off Hanji's "You've got to be fuck-"

Levi strutted down the hall back towards his room. Although pleased with himself at what he considered a romantic gesture, he couldn't help but feel guilty leaving her hanging like that. However, he had heard the term about 'absence making the heart grow fonder' or something like that. He figured by leaving Hanji wanting more, she would be even more keen to his return. 

* * *

As he showered for the evening, some thoughts began to enter his mind.  _ What if she gets her needs satisfied through someone else? _ he considered in a panic. He shook his head, remembering Hanji's accusatory words of him thinking of her as the unfaithful type. "She's not like that," Levi reminded himself, internally chastising himself for even considering Hanji the type to do such a thing. And it was the truth. He trusted Hanji as the type to not hurt anyone, especially him. He knew she loved him.  _ But what do you know about love? _ he thought. It was true that he knew very little about the matter.  _ But she told me she does _ , he argued with himself. 

"That's all that matters," he muttered aloud. Besides, it wasn't Hanji he mistrusted. It was other men, especially that Flegel. He seemed to be putting the moves on Hanji the other day. 

Once he made sure all his things were in order for the following day's mission, Levi lied down on his bed to sleep. It didn't come easily. For some time, he just thought about what he considered earlier and what it meant to love someone. He wasn't denying his feelings for her. He absolutely found himself feeling things only towards her that he's never felt towards anyone.  _ But does that mean I'm in love? Am I telling her that I do just because it's something she wants to hear? She never asks me to tell her...I just don't think what I feel for her should be summed up to one label as: love. _

Levi weighed in the fact that Hanji was almost always on his mind, even before they solidified their relationship. He always found himself daydreaming about her during his quiet moments.  _ In fact _ , Levi thought.  _ I've always held Hanji as dearest to me...I couldn't even imagine living in a world without her _ . Levi cringed at the thought of losing Hanji. Whenever outside the walls, Levi's entire heart would constrict at the possibility of Hanji being mortally wounded. Even during their last battle, he had feared losing Hanji in the blast. However, he seriously thought that he wasn't going to make it as well. 

Now that he had her, he was going to make sure that nothing happened to her. Levi had faith in Hanji's abilities and knew she could hold her own. But he couldn't help but worry about her, especially about outside sources beyond his control. That's why it bugged him that she showed little to no concern for his well-being knowing that he was heading into Titan-occupied territory tomorrow. 

Levi eventually worried himself to sleep. However, instead of having a dream, his mind replayed one of his memories.

_ The Survey Corps had arrived back at headquarters. It was a tough expedition. They suffered many casualties, more than usual. And Levi was feeling especially responsible for many of the lives lost since he was in charge of a few of them. He wasn't yet Captain of the Survey Corps, but Squad Leader like a few of his comrades. Once everyone had settled in and returned to their room, Levi stood in the middle of the courtyard, staring off into the distance in thought, mostly dwelling on the recent event. He heard his name called and turned to find Hanji approaching him.  _

_ “Levi, what are you doing out here?” She asked, her beautiful eyes full of concern as she lifted her goggles up above her head.  _

_ “Go back inside,” he snapped, after realizing he had been staring too long, turning back around. He didn’t want to see her, he didn’t want to see anyone.  _

_ “It’s cold out here, Levi,” he heard her voice continue behind him.  _

_ “Then go back inside like I-“ he froze. A heavy, warm blanket was draped over his shoulders. Levi gripped the fabric at its edges in surprise. He turned to face her. She was close, too close for him. He began to panic at the situation. _

_ “Don’t punish yourself for things you cannot control,” she said softly, her gaze holding his warmly. “If you stay out here like this, you’ll get sick. Then, how can you be in any shape to help others?” She gave him a soft smile as she comfortingly reached out to him.  _

Don’t _ , thought Levi, internally terrified of her touch.  _ Don’t do it...

_ Her hands gently cupped his face. Levi reacted quickly. Too quickly. He grabbed her by the arms and flung her over himself, tossing her a few feet. She landed hard on the ground, but immediately lifted herself upwards to stare at him, confused and hurt.  _

_ Levi’s eyes widened when he realized what he had done. Not only that, but she had a small gash on her cheek from the fall that was now bleeding. Hanji must have noticed because her hand reached out to touch it. Neither one said a word to each other. Levi flung the blanket off himself and stormed back towards the barracks.  _

_ Levi avoided her as much as he could the following day but she still found him. He had been in his room, trying to put on his ODM gear belts.  _

_ “Levi about the other day,” Hanji blurted out as she cautiously entered his room. Levi grimaced, not wanting to talk about it. “I’m sorry,” Hanji admitted. Levi’s eyes widened in surprise.  _

_ “I should have left you alone,” Hanji continued, one arm holding the other in an uncomfortable posture. “I know you don’t like to be bothered when you’re in those moods, but I forced my hand. Literally,” she chuckled. “I know you especially don’t like to be touched-“  _

_ “Hanji-“ Levi interrupted. He didn’t know what to say. But he couldn’t stand listening to her babble on with her apology when he knew she had nothing to be sorry for. If anyone did, he definitely did. His eyes wandered towards her cheek where the gash was. She still had a bandage on it and it made his heart clench in guilt. He began to stand up from where he sat on his bed. “I-“ but stumbled when his foot caught on the belt straps, which were not giving him enough slack to extend his leg fully. He reached out and caught himself on Hanji before he could fall.  _

_ She was oddly stiff. Levi looked up to see that his hand had gripped one of her breasts.  _

_ Growing completely embarrassed, he righted himself and yanked his hand away. “Hanji, I didn’t, I-“  _

_ His face felt a sharp, burning slap across the cheek. He touched his cheek to be sure and it was tender. Then, he looked at Hanji in shock.  _ She just hit me _ , Levi thought incredulously.  _ She just hit me!  _ Hanji was glaring at him. “I come here to apologize and you grope me!” She cried, crossing her arms protectively across her chest. “And here I thought we were friends. But you’re just...a...a pervert!” And she dashed out of his room, leaving a stunned Levi, his hand still on his cheek.  _

_ After a few hours of sulking around with an invisible rain cloud over his head inside Headquarters and causing many soldiers to stare after him in concern, Levi eventually swallowed his hesitation and made his way over to Hanji’s room. Inside, he found Nifa, tidying up with a broom. “Nifa,” Levi greeted, surprised. “Where’s Hanji?”  _

_ Nifa paused in her sweeping to salute Levi. “Captain Levi! Squad Leader fell ill this afternoon. She’s at the hospital ward at the moment-“  _

_ Levi dashed out of the room and quickly ran towards the hospital wing. After speaking with the medical team, he found the room that Hanji was in and opened the curtain. Hanji was sleeping, but she had a cool towel on her head to keep the fever down. One of the medical team soldiers joined his side. “She just came down with a cold,” they assured. “Knowing Squad Leader Hanji, it’s stress related. So she just needs to rest in order to recover.” Levi nodded and left the room.  _

_ However, he returned shortly after. Hanji startled in surprise as Levi ripped aside the curtains. “Geez, you scared me you little-“  _

_ Levi stalked in and threw a blanket over her. Hanji was surprised to see it was the same blanket she had tried to give him the other day.  _

_ “It’s cold in here, Hanji,” Levi said, his face still portraying an emotionless mask. “If you stay sick, how can you be in any shape to help others?”  _

_ Hanji paused before slowly smiling at him. “You remember what I said.”  _

_ “I remember everything you say,” Levi snapped defensively. Then after realizing his words, he blushed and looked away. After a moment of silence between the two, he sat down next to her on a nearby chair. “I’m not a pervert, you know,” he declared firmly, fiddling with his hands.  _

_ Hanji burst out laughing. “I know you’re not. Far from it.” Levi’s mood lightened immensely as he gave her a look of relief. “I overreacted,” Hanji admitted.  _

_ “As did I,” Levi replied, looking down before meeting her inquisitive eyes once more. “From earlier.” His eyes moved to her bandaged cheek with a somber expression.  _

_ “Well now we’re even, I guess,” Hanji joked, motioning towards his cheek. “I’m sorry I slapped you.”  _

_ “You don’t need to apologize to me all the time,” Levi muttered. “If anyone needs to apologize for their behavior, it’s me. I’m the complicated one.” His eyes softened at her surprised expression. “I’m sorry Hanji. You’re always trying to help me and be a good friend...so thank you.”  _

_ Hanji smiled. “Well now, there’s the Levi I see hiding all the time under that grumpy facade.”  _

_ Levi let out a cry of exasperation to hide his bashfulness. “Well speaking of hidden, I was relieved to find you actually have breasts.”  _

_ Hanji laughed heartily as Levi hid his embarrassed expression. He smiled slightly and paused to think of her words from earlier.  _

_ “Did you just call me grumpy?” _

_ As he turned to look at her, he gasped out in surprise. Hanji was now a bloody, rotten corpse that lay before him. The sight was absolutely gruesome. _

Levi sat up in a cold sweat, gasping for air, eyes wild. Shaking from the recent nightmare, he did his best to breathe deeply to calm his nerves. He fumbled for the bedside lamp and lit it with the nearby matches. He checked his pocketwatch for the time. It was still early in the morning. He had only been sleeping for about 2 hours. He thought for a few moments. "She's probably not going to want to see me," Levi muttered. He stood up and put on his shoes. "But there's no helping it." He made his way out his door. 

Hanji awoke when she felt her bed being disturbed. "Hmm?" she called out drowsily. She froze when she felt trembling arms wrap around her waist and pull her close. She relaxed when she figured it could be nobody else. "Levi?"

"Un," Levi grunted softly. Hanji smiled and turned around to face him. It was dark, but she could make out his shape amongst the blackness. Plus, she could recognize his sweet, but clean musk anywhere. She reached out and caressed his face, tracing out his features softly. "Another nightmare?" she asked tentatively. She felt his head nod, before turning to lean his head against one of her hands. "Upset at me?" Levi asked. "Want me to finish the job?"

Hanji giggled. "No thanks. I took care of it myself."

Levi paused to consider her answer. He released his hold from one of her arms and reached up to brush his fingers across her cheek. "Were you thinking of me the whole time?" he asked sultrily.

Hanji smiled and responded, "Actually, I was thinking about Sawney and Bean-"

Levi tore his hand away with a cry of disgust. "You're unbelievable."

Hanji laughed softly. "I'm kidding. You did ask for it, you know."

"I hate you," growled Levi.

“And I love you,” Hanji replied, giving a quick kiss to his nose. 

“Right,” Levi agreed hesitantly.

Hanji caught his tone. “What’s this now? Doubting my affections for you?” 

“It’s just,” Levi pondered the words to speak. “Is slapping the word 'love' on what we have ok with you? How do you even know you can love someone like me?” 

“We’re doing this now?” Hanji asked with a yawn. “Haven't I already told you?” 

“Forget it,” Levi murmured dismissively, attempting to turn away from her. 

“No no,” Hanji argued, reaching out to grab his shoulder. “I can see this is important to you. What’s going on?” 

“Hanji...I don’t even know what love is,” Levi confessed. “I know I tell you the same thing, but how should someone like me even know? I'm shit with words, you know that. So, having me use them to describe what I feel feels kind of pointless."

“Are you dumping me?” She asked playfully. 

“Are you even taking this seriously?” Levi cried as he pushed away Hanji's hand that had begun to ruffle his hair affectionately. 

“Levi,” Hanji replied patiently. “Love is something not even I could describe in words. It’s  different for everyone. I have read countless books on the matter and there’s no definite explanation. In fact, it’s because it’s so hard to explain or describe that makes it even more precious.” She caressed his face blindly in the dark. “You hold such a special place in my heart that I cannot even begin to describe what you mean to me. It’s odd to say, but it may be easier to affirm by simply asking you.” 

“Huh?” Levi said, confused. 

“What makes you think I love you?” She asked, propping her head up on one of her hands. 

“I-I don’t know,” Levi responded, getting flustered. 

“Alright,” Hanji responded, shifting back to her lying position and taking Levi’s hands in hers. 

“I'll try and make this easier. Want me to tell you how I know you love me?”

There was a pause as Levi considered this. “Mmm hmm,” Levi hummed, nodding his head. 

Hanji brought his hands towards her and kissed both palms before placing them on her face. “I can tell you love me by the way you touch me. You don’t usually seek physical contact without purpose. But with me, I’m blessed with gentle, tender touches that hold meaning with each and every one. Plus, you let me touch you. You've always let me get away with giving you unwanted touches from head pats, shoulder grabs..."

"They weren't unwanted Hanji," Levi murmured, his thumbs brushing Hanji's cheeks as she held his hands to her face. Hanji smiled and continued, "There's also the way you say my name. The nicknames were a cute touch. But you saved my name for special moments. Now more often, I can hear it in your voice when you say it. And it sets my heart on fire...” 

She let go of his hands and gently reached out her fingers to softly caress Levi’s eyelids downwards, feeling his eyelashes flutter. 

“I can tell you love me by the way you look at me,” she went on. “You have a softer expression in your eyes, always have. And I think you know I'm aware of this. That’s why you get bashful when I catch you looking at me and you look away.” 

Hanji gripped Levi's arms, feeling his strong muscles. “You’re humanity’s strongest soldier. To most people, they see it as a physical attribute. But I see it as internal. Your heart, to me, is why you're strong. And with me, you’re gentle." She laughed softly. "It’s like you’re afraid to hurt me. Even though I tell you it’s ok to be more rough during our love-making, you’re always, always gentle.” 

Her fingertips brushed over his lips. “And the way you kiss me. You convey your feelings to me through your kisses. I can tell when you’re lonely. I can tell when you’re sorry. I can tell when you’re angry.” Hanji paused to softly touch her lips to Levi's, barely grazing them. “Your kisses hold tenderness, passion, affection...and most of all: love.” 

Levi immediately cupped Hanji's face and pulled her towards him. He crushed his lips to hers, but then softened the intensity. Just like Hanji had mentioned before, Levi's chest felt like it was on fire from her words. He pulled away, both of them gasping. 

Hanji giggled. “You see-“ 

“You talk too much!” Levi whispered shrilly. 

“Well you’re the one that demanded this explanation-“ Hanji replied. 

“I didn’t expect it to be that long!” Levi argued back. His face was still hot from embarrassment. Hanji always had a way of overwhelming him with her words. Levi leaned forward to press his forehead to hers, his eyes doing the best he could to search hers in the dark. “But thank you for clarifying.” 

"I thought you said words don't do it for you," Hanji asked, confused. 

"For me they don't hold much," Levi replied. "But coming from someone like you, who uses words very well...it means a lot to someone like me."

“Neh,” Hanji shifted expectantly. “Do you think you can tell if I love you?” 

“I know you do,” Levi replied, beginning to snuggle into her. 

“Can you tell me?” Hanji poked at him, hoping her words had an inspirational effect on him. 

“It’s getting late,” Levi yawned. 

“Eh?!” She cried. “You’re unfair!” 

Levi lifted his head and kissed her softly before lowering his face back down to snuggle into her chest. “Let’s get some sleep, Hanji.”

  
  



	7. Mission

The morning hours had arrived and Levi opened his eyes. Resting on his arm, Hanji snored away. Judging by the light coming from the window, Levi knew it wasn't too late. But he had slept in more than he had planned. He carefully got up so as not to disturb Hanji, and walked over to the door. He paused, turning back to look at her. He felt bad not waking her, but he knew she needed her sleep. Levi's eyes shifted to Hanji's desk and he pondered for a moment. _ I couldn't even indulge her a little bit last night, _ Levi chastised himself. _ She gave me that beautiful speech and all I could do is tell her to get some sleep... _

Levi began to walk over to Hanji's desk and noticed some spare paper on the corner. He examined it to make sure that it was clear of any important notes. Then, he sat down on her chair. He tapped the quill against his cheek while he thought of what to write.  _ I'm better at doing this on paper anyway, _ Levi thought. _ If I were to try and tell her face to face, my dumbass would get awkward and ruin the moment _ . He sighed and began to just write whatever came to his mind. 

Once he was done, he made sure it was in plain sight on her desk, having moved some things out of the way so that his letter was a focal point. He walked over to Hanji and bent over her. He observed her peaceful sleeping face and smiled warmly. "I'll be back soon," he whispered and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Then, he made his way back to her door. 

Hanji awoke with a start. "Levi?" she called, looking around. She knew it was probably too late but she wanted to be sure. She pulled on her robe and slippers and ran towards his room, yanking open the door. He wasn't there. Everything was neat and put in its place. Hanji's heart sank, knowing that she missed her opportunity to give him a proper send off. Cursing, she dragged her feet back to her own room. As she walked past her desk to make her bed, her eyes caught sight of the paper in the middle of her desk. 

"That wasn't like that before," she commented as she stepped towards her desk. Immediately, she recognized Levi's neat handwriting. Her mood lifted as she picked up the piece of paper to read it.

**_Hanji,_ **

**_I’m not good at this sort of thing. So if it comes off bad, I’m sorry._ **

**_Let's just say I know for a fact that you love me because of all the times I’ve cleaned out your shitty office and found all the notes scattered around that had my name doodled on them. Kind of a dead give away...and creepy._ **

**_Now I'm the one writing you a damn note. I find myself doing these unexplainable things. It’s like an illness, or disease. I think I just figured out what love is and what it does to people. It’s a damn disease! And you gave it to me! Thanks a lot._ **

**_Anyway, behave yourself while I’m gone. I’ll return to you safely._ **

**_-Levi_ **

Hanji laughed until tears ran down her cheeks. She folded the paper and placed it inside one of her desk drawers where she kept only important items or documents. "God I love that man," she gushed affectionately.

* * *

Levi arrived at the Wall Rose Garrison Base. He met with Nile, who promptly showed them to the mess hall. 

“I didn’t expect you this early, Levi,” Nile commented while escorting him through the grounds. “You didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast yet, have you?” 

“No,” Levi answered gruffly. 

“Excellent,” Nile exclaimed. “Because I am starving. Won’t you join me? I’ve invited the soldiers who will be accompanying you on your mission to sit with us.” 

Levi nodded and Nile led him to the serving counter. Each grabbed a tray to slide along the counter as they viewed the morning’s spread. Levi was impressed but also annoyed by how well the Garrison and MP soldiers lived. Along with the eggs and potatoes that normally were present during their breakfast meals, they were also treated to sausage, bacon, and slices of ham. Meat was a rarity for the Survey Corps, and here it was in abundance for the MPs and Wall Garrisons to enjoy.  _ I really did choose the wrong branch _ , Levi thought jokingly. He helped himself to a little of everything, especially the fresh fruit. 

Nile motioned for Levi to follow him to a nearby bench. “Normally, I sit in my office to eat,” Nile began to explain. 

“Erwin did the same thing,” Levi replied, nostalgically. He noticed Nile watching him and Levi cleared his throat. “Most of us officers did, though. The cadets could be a bit noisy.” 

“Heh,” Nile chuckled. “Same thing here.” He set down his tray at an empty table and did a quick glance around. “I’ll be back with the soldiers that will be going with you today.” Levi gave a slight nod before Nile wandered off. 

Levi decided to tuck into his food while it was still hot. It wasn’t long before Nile returned. Three other soldiers flanked his sides. “Captain Levi,” Nile announced. “You remember Margot Brugger,” he gestured to an average height, slim, but muscular woman with short, brown hair that hugged and framed her head. 

“Peter Niccals,” Nile gestured to a much taller, thin man with messy, sandy blonde hair. 

“And “Robert Evans,” Nile concluded, gesturing towards a shorter, stockier man with neater brown hair. 

All three soldiers saluted Levi and he nodded at them. 

“You three all served in Wall Maria district, correct?” Levi asked. 

“That’s correct, sir,” Peter answered. His voice was deep and authoritative. 

“So you’re familiar with the area well?” Levi continued. 

“Well,” Robert answered quickly. “Wall Maria covered a large area. Larger than the other 2 districts...” 

“But we have a map of the entire area and know the main roads and can plot out the best route!” Margot piped up. 

“You’re not leaving until this evening, correct?” Nile asked Levi. “To prevent encounters with any Titans still in the area?” 

“We leave slightly before sunset to gather our bearings while it’s still light out,” Levi clarified, ignoring the soldiers’ shift of unease. 

“Well then, sit, sit,” Nile urged. “Eat and enjoy your meals. You’ll have plenty of time afterwards to discuss your battle plan...er...you know what I mean.” 

“If you don’t mind, sirs,” Peter said. “We would like to enjoy this meal with our fellow comrades.” 

Nile nodded and the cadets saluted Levi once more before heading off to return to their respective tables. 

Once out of earshot, Levi asked Nile, “Do these soldiers have the experience to handle such a risky mission? I read their files and chose them specifically because of their Training Corps stats but...” 

“Risky?” Nile asked. “Isn’t going around nightfall reducing the risk to almost nothing?” 

“There was a case of Titans that were able to move freely at nightfall,” Levi pointed out. “We didn’t encounter them on our way to Shiganshina, but that doesn’t prove it won’t happen again.” 

Nile seemed a bit nervous. 

“This is why I ask you, have these kids even seen a Titan before?” Levi reiterated. “Oftentimes you Military Police and Garrison soldiers are whisked away from the Training Corps so quickly after graduation, without having killed, or let alone set eyes on an actual Titan.” 

“They were serving during the fall of Wall Maria,” Nile responded. 

“Near Shiganshina?” Levi asked. 

“No,” Nile answered. “But it was their job to help evacuate the citizens to Wall Rose before the Titans spread further.” 

“So what you’re telling me is...?” 

Nile hung his head. “I have no idea if they’ve ever encountered an actual Titan.” 

“Ah.” 

“You can change your mind if-“ 

“Don’t be stupid,” Levi snapped. “I gave my word to that man that I would help.” Levi’s expression darkened slightly. “But to be honest, it’s not me that I’m worried about.” He regarded Nile with a serious look. “I can handle Titans. You know that better than anyone else. But if shit hits the fan,” Levi paused. “These Garrisons you're entrusting to me most likely won’t make it back alive. Are you willing to live with that?” 

“Such a foolish question,” Nile retorted. “Can anyone easily live with that? Not all of us can be like Erwin who willingly sent soldiers to their deaths-“ 

“Shut up!” Levi roared, slamming his fists on the table. The room quieted instantly. Levi seethed at Nile but lowered his tone. “Every Survey Corps soldier’s life given to this cause believed in Erwin, believed in humanity’s salvation. Their deaths were not meaningless and Erwin felt the guilt of leadership, up until his very death.” Levi stood up from the table. “I know you were his friend, but you were not there with us, you have no idea what we have gone through.” Levi turned to leave, ignoring the stares of the other soldiers. “Have those three meet me at Arthur’s shop in an hour If they still wish to proceed.” 

* * *

The bell sounded above the entrance door to the shop as it was pushed open. Inside, the three soldiers entrusted to Levi entered. 

“Er, Captain Levi?” Called Peter, squinting around the dark shop. 

“In here!” Boomed Arthur Goodsman’s loud voice. “In here!” 

The soldiers followed the source of the voice into one of the back rooms of the shop. It was there that they found both Arthur and Levi at a large table, looking over some documents. 

“Right on time,” Levi mused. “We were just about to go over the exact whereabouts of Mr. Goodsman’s old shop.” 

“Yes, yes,” Arthur agreed, unraveling a large piece of paper. “Please, gather round.” 

For the next hour or so, Levi and the Garrison soldiers discussed the best route to take and strategies in case certain scenarios were to arise. They had compiled a list of all the items Mr. Goodsman needed from his old shop, and a basic location on where to find all listed items. Once their briefing was over, they were to meet at the entrance to Wall Maria to make sure the supply wagon was ready to go, along with their horses. 

It was nearly dusk, as the soldiers were making their final preparations for their mission. 

“Robert, stop fidgeting so much,” hissed Margo disapprovingly, glaring at her comrade, who indeed was making a fuss with himself, twisting and turning. 

“I can’t help it,” Robert shot back. “My maneuvering gear has been acting up since we left headquarters this morning.” He stretched around to see if he could get a better view of his gear. 

“I keep hearing this ticking...” 

“Give it here,” ordered Levi, extending out his hand. He had already removed his gear and was offering it to Robert. “Switch with me,” Levi urged, as the soldier hesitantly obliged. “The last thing we need is for your equipment to malfunction beyond the wall.” 

As Robert began fitting himself with Levi’s gear, he gave him a wary look. “But sir, what about you?” 

Levi was busy inspecting the gear for damage or the potential source of the mentioned problem. “I’ll be fine,” he muttered. “Been doing this longer than you.” Levi didn’t seem to notice a problem with the lines, the recoiling mechanism or the gas tanks. 

“When’s the last time you used your maneuvering gear?” Levi asked. 

“Ah,” Robert thought. “It’s been too long to say,” he thought, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. 

Before Levi could retort, Nile’s voice interrupted them. 

“Is everyone ready?” Nile asked, approaching them. “The gates are ready to be lifted on my command.” 

Levi glanced around at the soldiers’ faces and then their equipment. “Last chance to bail out,” he offered gruffly. 

They all shook their heads vigorously. “Very well,” Levi concluded, mounting his horse and signaling for the others to do the same. Once they were, Levi nodded at Nile.

* * *

For the first time in a while, Levi followed behind during an expedition. The Garrison soldiers took the lead, having the best knowledge of the area and where Arthur’s old shop was. Although Levi had studied the map provided during the initial briefing, he considered his responsibility to be their team’s defense. He wasn’t sure how likely it was that they were to encounter any Titans. But in the event one or more showed up, their only chance of survival was him. 

As Levi followed on horseback behind the supply wagon pulled by both Peter and Margot, Robert was up on the rooftops, scanning as a lookout for possible Titans approaching. He was ordered to use minimum gas and travel mostly by foot jumping from rooftop to rooftop. 

They were getting close. Thankfully, Arthur’s old shop wasn’t too far from the Wall Rose border. 

“This may be a problem,” Peter said, stopping the horses pulling the wagon. Everyone else stopped too. 

“What’s the problem?” Levi asked, bringing his horse to the front. He noticed the street was blocked with rubble from some damaged buildings. 

“This was the quickest path to the shop,” Margot explained, unrolling her map quickly. “We need to find another way around.” 

“Can’t we just go on foot from here to retrieve the supplies needed?” Peter asked, nervous of the approaching nightfall. 

“And carry everything by hand back to the carts?” Levi asked skeptically. “We need to have the cart parked directly in front of the shop to efficiently load everything.” He looked up towards Robert, who was looking down at them from below. “Can you see another way around?” Levi called up to him. 

Robert turned and scanned from his vantage point. “I’ll double back and see if there was another turn we could have taken,” he stated. 

He took off quickly. Levi turned to face the other two. “Keep quiet and be on your guard. We don’t want any surprises without our lookout.” 

After a few moments, the sound of roof tile and some rubble crashing to the floor startled them. 

“Sorry!” Apologized Robert. “Just me.” 

“Well?” Asked Levi. 

“We need to turn around,” replied Robert. “At the end of the block there’s a turn that takes us to another street directly behind the building I’m standing on. From there, we can still make it to the shop.” 

Levi signaled for the others to move. He ordered Robert to remain there and to fire a red flare if he noticed any danger. 

They managed to double back and follow the street Robert mentioned. When they arrived where he was at, they all continued together to their destination. 

Once at the shop, they noticed that it had some shattered windows and a damaged wall. But other than that, the building was intact. They parked the wagon just outside the front of the shop and slowly entered. 

“Levi Heichou,” Robert said, stopping him. “Would it be easier to have myself assist you and Peter with retrieval of the supplies? Margot can serve as the lookout.” 

Levi nodded and the two soldiers switched positions. 

“Remember,” Levi said to Margot. “Fire a red flare only if you see an actual Titan. Firing a green one means that something else is suspicious, like some noises or ‘possible Titan’.” 

“Understood,” Margot agreed, although shakily. 

The 3 male soldiers entered the shop and began searching for whatever supplies were requested by Arthur. Little by little they began to take turns loading the wagon, and going back inside for more. 

Levi grew impatient, since this was taking more time than anticipated. Many of the tools and supplies were hard to find, having been knocked over and scattered in the dark. “We need to move it along,” Levi urged. “We only have a few more hours before daybreak-“ The light of a red flare lit up the dark room, illuminating the terrifying faces of the Garrison soldiers. 

Levi bolted for the front door, blades drawn. “Wait on my command!” Levi ordered as he made his way towards Margot. 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Margo was shrieking, practically in tears as Levi came outside. 

“I panicked and meant to fire the green one!” 

Levi relaxed, but not by much. “What did you see?” He demanded. 

“I heard some crash over between those buildings!” Margo cried, pointing in the direction. Levi followed the direction she pointed and braced himself for whatever it was. 

“Wait for my command,” Levi warned, as he held out his blades. 

A few moments passed in what seemed like hours when a small herd of deer came into view. 

Levi exhaled in relief. “Just some deer,” he noted. He looked back towards Margot and reminded her to use the right color flare next time and to continue lookout. 

“False alarm,” Levi called, entering the shop and sheathing his blades. “Just some deer.” He noticed the two male soldiers visibly relax. “Are we almost done?” 

“Yes sir,” Peter answered, a large pile of material in his arms. “This should be the last of it.” 

“Good,” Levi replied. “I’m getting sick of this place already. Let’s prepare to leave.” 

* * *

The soldiers made their way back to Wall Rose entrance. With the wagon full, the horses moved at a slower pace and they were getting antsy. Due to a few unpredicted obstacles, they were also forced to take some detours. Margot and Robert steered the wagon through the streets while Peter took lookout this time. Levi still followed the wagon on horseback. 

Peter was allowed to use his maneuvering gear on the rooftops since they were so close to returning. Therefore, he was able to be further ahead of the group for a better view. 

So, it gave the team plenty of time to react when Peter shouted “Titans!!” 

Levi directed Margot and Robert to keep going and to take his horse while he joined Peter. He shot out his lines, noticing one of the triggers struggled a bit. 

“Where?” Levi asked, ready for battle as he joined Peter’s location. However, he was already panicking to get away as he stammered and pointed in the direction. “T-th-there!” He cried. 

“Just along the corner of those buildings!” 

Levi paused to see where he was pointing. He was confused. If there were Titans, they should be lumbering towards them by now. There were, in fact, Titans. But they appeared to be sitting down, lethargic, like the ones normally inactive at night. 

“It’s alright,” Levi assured. “They aren’t the ones that can move at night. Catch up to the others and continue to look out for them until you reach the entrance. Don’t stop.” 

Peter nodded, still shaken up, and shot off. 

Levi watched him leave and made sure the Titans didn’t pursue. Once he was sure the Titans really were harmless, he figured now was a good chance to eliminate Wall Maria territory of them. 

As he shot towards them, the trigger that struggled earlier became jammed. Levi found himself flung towards the Titans with only one line, while the other only shot out slightly before losing its momentum. While trying to straighten himself out of the unbalance, Levi found himself slamming into a nearby pile of rubble atop a building. Debris was scattered as Levi slid and fell towards the ground, a few torn shop awnings breaking his fall before he blacked out. 

Levi opened his eyes. Blurry at first, he soon realized that it was still night time. He was lying on his stomach and slowly started to move his limbs to check for damage. He could move everything except his legs. He was able to move his feet, but not by much. They weren’t broken, but he felt that they were pinned down by something very heavy.  Once his vision cleared, Levi realized that he was buried under the pile of rubble that he crashed into. Most of it was loose enough so he could see between the planks and stones that surrounded him. That’s when he realized that he had landed near the resting Titans.  Levi startled, and began trying to pull himself free but it was to no avail. The planks of wood had settled over his legs tightly and were too heavy to lift. Even for him.  _ Don’t panic _ , thought Levi.  _ Don’t panic. They can’t get to you now...shit _ , Levi realized.  _ But daybreak will be here soon and once they wake up... _

Levi’s head hurt. He reached up to touch the spot that ached and felt warm blood.  _ Great. _ Trying to conserve his energy, Levi stopped trying to pull himself free and think of another way around the situation.  Time seemed to drag on slowly as Levi continued to strategize through the throbbing of his head. 

He must’ve blacked out again because the next thing he recalled was opening his eyes again to darkness. The moon only partially showing was enough to illuminate some details around him.  Levi’s thoughts drifted towards Hanji. How he wished she was here with him right now.  _ She’d know what to do, she’s so smart. _ He smiled, imagining her flailing her arms around, telling him what he needed to do. He imagined her voice, her smell, her touch, her warmth. His thoughts seemed to have drifted his mind towards a distant memory. 

  
  



	8. Ghosts of the Fallen

_Levi walked the halls of the barracks. He looked around in curiosity. It was noisy from the hustle and bustle of all the soldiers._ Hmm _, Levi thought._ I must be dreaming _. Knowing that the halls of the barracks were now barren and mostly devoid of most sound, there was no way this could be the present. Levi noticed that he was able to actively control his direction while dreaming._ What was it that Hanji called it? _he tried to recall._ Lucid dreaming? And speaking of Hanji.... _Levi considered._ Let me see if I can find the dream version of her.

_ Levi rapped his knuckle lightly on her door before announcing himself. As he stepped inside, he was struck by something. Surprised, he realized that Hanji had launched herself at him in a hug. Smiling slightly, he was just about to reach his arms to return the embrace when Hanji spoke. _

_ "Moblit, it's about time!" she cried in a cheerful voice.  _

_ Levi bristled and used his arms to instead wrench himself from her. "Moblit? I'm not Moblit." _

_ Hanji let out a startled yelp and jumped backwards. She regarded him with a look of both confusion and shock. _

_ "He-heichou?!" she stammered. "W-what are you doing here?" She began to rub her arms uncomfortably. "Sorry about that..." _

_ "Sorry for what?" Levi asked, mildly amused. "You hug me all the time..." he hesitated. _ _ "Did...you...just call me Heichou?" _

_ "Umm...yes?" Hanji replied, now looking more tense and uncomfortable. "That's how myself and everyone addresses you. What are you doing here? You've never approached me before....Did you or Erwin need me for something?" _

_ Levi stared at Hanji, dumbfounded. "Hanji, what are you talking about? We're..." he cleared his throat. "We're friends. And you've never addressed me as Heichou!" He began to internally have a panic attack. What kind of dream is this? An alternate reality? She obviously has both of her eyes so this memory is before Shiganshina...if this is even a memory... _

_ "Friends?!" Hanji repeated, letting out a nervous chuckle. Upon seeing Levi's reaction, she immediately bowed her head and saluted. "Apologies Heichou...but...I think there may be some misunderstanding here. We...were never friends. Permission to speak freely, Sir?" _

_Levi's mouth almost dropped to the floor. She's never addressed him as a superior before._ _Still recovering from shock, he merely made a noise to indicate his agreement to her request._

_ "Sir, you've made it very clear to me that you want no form of relationship with me, especially not a friendship," Hanji explained.  _

_ "What the hell do you mean?" Levi asked, now growing annoyed at the situation. _

_ "Ah," Hanji continued, growing uncomfortable again. "You've blatantly asked me to leave you alone, you complain of my smell, and you constantly insult me with names like Shitty Glasses, Shitty Four Eyes...it's weird that you're actually calling me Hanji. I don't think you've ever called me by my name...." _

_ Before Levi could answer, Moblit appeared at Hanji's doorway. He startled at Levi's presence before saluting and greeting him. He turned to Hanji. "Pardon the intrusion Hanji san, your squad needs you in your lab." _

_ Hanji and Moblit exchanged a quick look before hesitantly eying Levi, who was looking from both of them, both irritated and confused.  _

_ "Ah, if you'll excuse me Heichou," Hanji excused herself with a salute. "But I cannot neglect my duties." She power walked past him with Moblit in tow.  _

_ Levi's fists clenched. "Levi!" he bellowed. "You always call me Levi!" _

_ “I’m getting to the bottom of this, now,” Levi growled as he stepped out into the now empty hallway. He shook his head and thought to himself.  _ If Hanji is still a Squad Leader, then Erwin should still be here as Commander _. He made his way to his office.  _

_ Upon entering, he was greeted politely by Erwin. However, his tone was strange. Although he spoke to him casually, there was a lack of friendliness that he usually had.  _

_ "Levi?" Erwin asked, concerned. "Something wrong? What can I do for you?" _

_ Levi shook off his uncertainty and approached his desk. "It's Hanji," Levi replied. "She's acting weird.”  _

_ Erwin stared at Levi in a strange way. "Hanji? As in Hanji Zoe?" _

_ "Is there another Hanji I'm not aware of?" Levi replied shortly. _

_ "No," Erwin answered, in a quiet, confused voice. "You've just...never called her by her name. You always refer to her as Shitty Fo-" _

_ Levi cried out in frustration, "I know! I know what I call her. But I've called her by her stupid name before! She said the same damn thing!" Levi's clenched fists began to tremble in fury before he took a deep calming breath. "But...she's never cared before...she still wanted to be my friend...but she's acting as if...And she addressed me as Heichou!” _

_ Erwin carefully observed Levi, trying to gauge his state of mind, as if questioning his sanity. "Levi..." he began cautiously. "Hanji has always addressed you as Heichou, out of respect to your position. Even before that, she addressed you as ‘Levi san’." Levi raked his hands through his hair, growling in frustration. _

_ "Hanji tried to be your friend when she first met you, remember?" Erwin added. _

_ "Of course I remember," Levi snapped. _

_ "Do you remember how you responded to her efforts?" Erwin asked carefully.  _

_ Levi paused to recall. "Yeah, I pushed her away and acted coldly to her." He looked up to meet Erwin's eyes.  _

_ "Then?" Erwin asked, as if implying that was the answer to Levi's question. _

_ "But," Levi protested. "It didn't matter to her. Her ass never gave up." He looked down in nostalgia. "She eventually befriended me." _

_ "No, Levi," Erwin answered firmly. "I was here every time Hanji came in complaining about your treatment towards her. She came with tears practically in her eyes at times." _

_ "No..." Levi murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, this is wrong." He buried his head in his hands. "This is all wrong." _

_ "Maybe if you had treated her better, like another human being," Erwin consoled. But his voice trailed off further and further away.  _

The memory-turned-nightmare faded from Levi's mind, as he awoke. “I’m sorry, Hanji,” he muttered sadly. “Looks like I won't make it back. And I'll never be able to make up to you all the times I was an ass...” He covered his eyes with his hand as he began to weigh in the heaviness of his predicament. 

“Levi,” a familiar voice called to him gently. 

Levi stirred and looked towards the source of the familiar voice. His eyes squinted momentarily to take in the impossible image before him as his jaw dropped. 

“E-Erwin?” Levi whispered softly. He was staring at a living Erwin, who was kneeling to look at Levi through the debris. Erwin wore a soft smile on his face. “You...can’t be...” Levi whispered. “You’re...” 

“Dead, I know,” Erwin finished, still with a smile. “Looks like you’re in a bit of a jam.” 

“Uh...yeah,” Levi replied, still confused. He continued to stare at Erwin, and slowly realized how soft his edges were and seemed to be producing a bit of light.  _ I must be seeing things _ , Levi figured.  _ Or dreaming. _ He began to find this actually amusing. 

“Oi, we found out what was in that damn basement,” Levi teased. 

“I know,” Erwin admitted with a soft chuckle. “I’ve been watching.” 

Levi’s eyes widened. “So...you can see us where you’re at? Does that mean-“ 

“I don’t think I’m allowed to say much about that,” Erwin answered. “Just know that I’m ok. We’re all ok. And look,” he waved both his arms. “I have all my limbs again.” 

Levi stared in awe before slowly smiling. “I guess death is nothing to fear then, huh?” He asked. “So...if I fall here, I’ll be ok.” 

“It’s not your time,” Erwin stated, pausing to look around as if in thought. “I think that’s why I’m here.” 

“What can you do?” Levi asked, skeptically. “You’re just a ghost.” 

“And you’re just some thug from the underground,” Erwin replied. “But we both know you’re much more than that, right? Did you ever think you’d become known as Humanity’s Strongest?” 

Levi considered the weight of his words in silence. 

After a few moments, Erwin asked. “So, how's Hanji handling her position?” 

Levi frowned. “Bastard, I thought you said you could see everything."

"I wanted to hear it from you," Erwin answered. "You're doing a good job encouraging her."

"You...knew all along, didn’t you?" Levi asked, averting his eyes awkwardly. "My feelings for her.” 

"Since the first time I watched you two interact," Erwin chuckled. “I’m just glad you finally made a move.” 

All of a sudden, another voice sounded nearby. “Levi Heichou?” 

Levi and Erwin both looked to see Moblit appear next to Erwin. “Moblit,” Levi greeted in surprise. 

“Please don’t leave yet,” Moblit pleaded. “Hanji san needs you. She can be quite reckless, you know. Please...please continue to take care of her.” 

Unlike Erwin, Moblit began to fade away after speaking. Levi fought to find the words before bursting out, “Moblit!” 

Moblit turned to Levi. “Thank you!” Levi blurted out. “For...for saving her.” 

Moblit smiled and made a slight indication towards Erwin that Levi didn’t understand. Erwin smiled at Levi and began to stand up. Levi scrambled to move in vain, calling out to him. 

“Wait, Erwin!” He cried in desperation. “I haven’t forgotten my promise! I’ll take out that Beast Titan!” 

Erwin just continued to smile at Levi before moving to where Moblit was, out of sight of Levi. 

* * *

Levi opened his eyes. Did he black out again? Was he just dreaming the whole thing? He rubbed his eyes and found that they were wet. Why was he crying? That’s when he realized how well he could see. The sun had begun to rise.  _ Shit! _ He began to struggle and stopped when he realized his legs could move again. He pulled them free in one motion and took a moment to consider how he was suddenly able to move. Earlier he was so tightly pinned that he wasn’t able to move his legs at all. 

The Titans nearby began to grunt and shift.  _ Shit, I better get moving, _ Levi thought, taking off on foot as fast as he could down the street towards the wall. He still had his flare gun and figured he could fire one to signal his presence when he arrived. 

However, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it before the sun rose high enough to wake the slumbering Titans completely. He had to find somewhere to hide eventually and possibly wait for nightfall again before he could make the last of the trip. 

He continued to run down the path he remembered back to Wall Rose. The sun was rising further and further until Levi began to feel the thundering boom under his feet of Titans approaching.  _ Time to hide, _ he thought as he dashed into a large building. He made sure to keep away from sight of any windows and ducked down behind some furniture. 

After a few minutes passed, Levi could hear the stomping approaching and Titans lumbering right outside the building. He gulped silently, hoping they wouldn’t sense his presence. 

“Captain Levi!” Levi heard a voice in the distance.  _ That sounded like that Margot soldier. _ “Captain Levi, where are you?!” 

Levi heard the Titans move away and he jumped at his chance to approach one of the broken windows. He stuck out his arm and fired a red flare into the sky. He looked back down to see that a nearby Titan had spotted him from around the corner of the next building. Levi cursed and ran back inside as the Titan scrambled towards his location.

The Titan began to claw and reach into the broken window, searching for him. The window frame began to give way to the weight of the Titan as Levi backed into the wall furthest from it, trying to strategize a way out. His heart hammered in his chest when red suddenly splashed among the shattered remains of glass that still remained in the window. 

Steam was rising out of the freshly killed Titan. “I did it!” came Peter’s astonished voice. “I actually killed one!” 

“Never mind that,” Robert’s impatient voice followed. “Captain Levi?” His head poked inside the broken window. They locked eyes. 

“You guys,” Levi said surprised. “You came back.” 

“Of course we did!” Robert cried. “Now let’s go before more Titans come!” 

Levi snapped out of his shock and ran after Robert and Peter, who led him to Margot pulling an empty wagon. 

“Get in!” Margot cried. “I think there’s more Titans coming!” 

Levi and the other three jumped inside. 

“Guess what Margot?!” Shouted Peter triumphantly. “I killed a Titan!” 

“So did I!” Margot exclaimed back excitedly. 

“Wha?” Robert whined in disappointment. “How did you two manage to make your first kills and I didn’t?” He turned to examine Levi. “Captain? Are you hurt?” 

“I...I don’t know,” Levi admitted, feeling exhausted. His vision began to blur as he slipped out of consciousness. His ears began ringing with the voices of the Garrison soldiers shouting around him. 

  
  



	9. Night Nurse

“Captain Ackerman? Captain?” 

Levi’s eyes slowly fluttered open. It was bright. Too bright. He squinted his eyes to allow them to adjust and see that he was in a white room. Large windows allowed a large amount of light to spill inside, revealing a spotless interior, much to Levi’s pleasure. He turned towards the sound of the voice he just heard. 

Standing off to his left was a short, young woman with long blonde hair pulled up into a bun. Her deep blue eyes were trained on him in concern. Levi noticed her nurse uniform. 

“Captain Ackerman?" she called again. "My name is Nurse Charlotte. Do you know where you are?” 

“Levi,” he managed to grumble, closing his eyes momentarily to process his thoughts. 

“I'm sorry?” Nurse Charlotte replied, confused. 

“Captain Levi is fine,” Levi groaned, sitting up to observe more of his surroundings. “I'm in a hospital...but not the Survey Corps-“ 

“We have you stabilized at a Military Police hospital in Rose district,” nurse Charlotte explained. “You suffered only minor injuries. But we have you here for observation due to a possibility of a concussion.” 

“You don't say,” Levi grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head gingerly. His attention fell on the young woman again. He took in her curvaceous figure. She was very attractive. Levi blinked, taking in her appearance and feeling slightly dumbfounded. “You said your name was...?”  “Charlotte, Captain Ackerman,” she answered with a smile, having also noted the very handsome gentleman in front of her. “It is an honor, sir. I have heard of the famous Captain Levi Ackerman before but never had the pleasure of meeting him.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Levi replied reflexively. His memories of the most recent events began to resurface and he began to worry. “Does...does anyone from the Scouts know of my whereabouts?” He asked. 

“I sent word with a messenger upon your arrival, sir.” Charlotte answered. 

“And...has...anyone come to see me when I was asleep?” Levi asked, hope lining his voice. 

“No visitors according to our records, sir.” Charlotte responded, checking her clipboard of any notes or visitor logs. 

Levi’s face fell slightly. “I see,” he answered. 

“Breakfast will be out shortly.” Charlotte answered, changing the subject. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Captain Ackerman?” 

“I told you,” Levi muttered. “it’s Le-“ 

“Levi!!” Hanji cried as she entered the room. The door burst open with a force that startled both Levi and Nurse Charlotte.  _ What is it and her dramatic entrances? _ Levi thought in amusement. 

“Ma’am,” Nurse Charlotte began to protest. “This man needs to re-“ 

“It’s alright,” Levi cut her off, his voice much brighter than before. “Can’t you tell from the uniform that this is-“ 

“Survey Corps Commander Hanji Zoe!” Exclaimed Nurse Charlotte. “I’m terribly sorry! I had sent word to your-“ 

“Yes, I received it; Thank you,” Hanji replied curtly. She did manage to pull on her military coat and boots despite the urge to run out the door in just her pajamas. She looked over Levi and with a sigh of relief, noticed that he looked relatively unharmed. However, Levi could tell that she was struggling to hold in her emotions. 

“His condition?” Hanji asked the nurse, her voice a bit shaky. 

“Stable,” Nurse Charlotte replied. “Came to us with some minor scratches and bruises. But we felt there was a possibility of a concussion so we decided to monitor him.” 

Hanji looked at Levi, who was beaming at her, and then back to Charlotte. “Would it be possible to speak with Captain Levi in private?” Hanji asked. 

“Of course!” Charlotte answered, jumping to attention. “Of course!” She turned to address Levi with a bright smile. “Again, if you need anything Captain Ackerman, don’t hesitate to call.” 

“I told you,” Levi said, unable to contain the smile of relief beginning to form on his lips at Hanji’s arrival. “It’s just Levi.” 

Nurse Charlotte let out an involuntary giggle at Levi’s unexpected smile before turning to acknowledge Commander Hanji. “I’ll be outside at the nurse’s station if you need anything.” 

Hanji watched curiously as she left, taking note of the nurse's rather large breast size and curvy waist. She then turned to face Levi once more. She choked out a sob before sprinting towards him and embracing him tightly. Tears began to stream down her face as she cried out sofly, "You idiot!" Hanji struggled not to put too much weight on him, but couldn't help it. She was so relieved that he was ok. The notice she received from the hospital messenger nearly gave her a panic attack. 

As Levi nuzzled his face against her neck, his grip on the back of her coat tightened as he returned her embrace. "Hanji," he sighed happily. "I'm ok, stop crying." He took a moment to bask in her warmth before becoming overwhelmed with emotion and muttered aloud, "I'm sorry Hanji. For all those times I was an asshole to you! Forgive me..." He spoke everything so fast and muffled into Hanji's chest that she had to slow him down. "Whoa, whoa," she calmly urged him. "What's this all of a sudden?" She began to caress his arms softly and soothingly.

"I almost lost the chance to ever make it up to you...or tell you my reasons...for...you know...knowing how you love me," Levi explained, lifting his head, but keeping his eyes cast downwards. "I...," he murmured. "I remembered something while I was away," he continued, recalling his memory of Hanji when he thought he was going to die. He gently gripped Hanji's arms and pulled her closer to him. "You...you've never given up on me. I kept my distance from you and tried to push you away but you still found a way to me." He peered up to see Hanji, who was watching him with concern, but patience. "No one has ever done that or made that much effort to try and befriend me. That's how I know you love me...I don't deserve you...and I thought I’d never see you again,” he finished. 

Alarmed, Hanji pulled away with a face full of concern. “What the Hell happened to you out there?” 

Levi gestured to the nearby chair and Hanji went to move it closer to his bedside. She listened intently as Levi filled her in on the past few hours. His hands began to tremble during some of the recounting and Hanji held his hands in hers. She could tell that it was a traumatizing experience, especially having just returned from Shiganshina. 

“Levi,” she soothed, pulling one of his hands to her lips, planting some soft kisses. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone.” 

Levi took a deep breath and sighed out. “I’m fine,” he assured. “I’m back now and I’m relatively uninjured. The hospital should be releasing me by tomorrow.” 

Although Levi had recounted every detail to Hanji, there were some things that he didn't tell her. He couldn't bring himself to let her know that he had seen Erwin's and Moblit's ghost. Or the unexplainable fact that he was freed from the pile of rubble that had tightly trapped him prior to seeing them. He didn't want her to question his sanity. He was still trying to explain what happened in his head, himself. For now, he just went with the possibility that he had suffered a concussion after all and was seeing things at the time. 

There was a knock at the door and Hanji released Levi’s hand and pulled away. “Come in,” Levi called, annoyed at being disturbed from Hanji. 

“Breakfast,” an older, heavier-set woman announced, wheeling in a cart with a covered tray. Her graying curly hair was secured in a net and she walked with a noticeable slouch. Hanji stood up to help Levi sit up a bit more. She stood off to the side to allow the woman to position the adjustable bed tray. Hanji looked out the nearest window towards one of the Military Police offices, deep in thought. 

Soon, the woman left the room, breaking Hanji of her trance. “I should let you eat and get some rest,” Hanji suggested, uncrossing her arms and taking a step towards the exit door. 

“You can’t stay?” Levi asked, disappointed. “You just got here.” 

“I have to go handle some business since I’m in town,” Hanji reasoned. She watched as Levi poked around his food with his fork. A nice spread of potatoes, eggs, vegetables, and toast were laid out before him. On the side was some freshly cut fruit, strips of bacon, and a large glass of orange juice. “Take advantage of this place while you can,” Hanji suggested humorously. “This place is like a luxurious hotel compared to the hospital ward for the Survey Corps. So enjoy it while you can, because after this, it’s back to the old squalor ways.” 

“Fine with me,” Levi replied. “I’ve gotten used to living the shitty lifestyle. Besides,” he added playfully. “I’m looking forward to having my night nurse take care of me-“ he noticed Hanji’s darkening expression. “Hey, why are you getting angry?” 

“I’m not angry,” Hanji answered much too quickly, snapping out of her scowl. She turned to leave. “I’ll see you when you get out.” 

“Hanji!” Levi called out in concern. As she left the room, he called her name more sternly to no avail. “What the hell was that about?” He growled in annoyance. 

* * *

Levi had just set down his fork from enjoying the last bite of his food when there was a knock at the door. He began to prepare his eating area, thinking it was going to be that older woman to collect his tray. “Come in,” Levi called. 

A large bearded man stepped in. “Arthur!” Levi greeted in surprise. 

“My God, man,” Arthur cried out. “I am so sorry for having caused this misfortune upon you Captain Levi!” 

Levi dismissively waved his hand. “Not your fault,” Levi assured. “Besides, I’m fine. Did you get your supplies?” 

Arthur stepped forward to grasp Levi’s hand.  _ Shit, not again,  _ Levi braced himself but Arthur’s handshake was much more gentle. Firm, but nothing near his previous ones. 

“I am in your debt, Captain,” Arthur gushed. “Everything I asked for was brought to me yesterday evening. But I was devastated to find you we’re not amongst the returning soldiers.” 

“So when I found out you were here and alive,” he continued. “I had to come at once. Because of you, I can continue my work and provide better for my family.” 

“You’re a good man,” Levi complimented, remembering the adoring eyes of Arthur’s daughters when they looked at him. Levi always wished he had or even knew of his father. 

“No,  _ you’re _ a good man,” Arthur protested. “You’re a man of your word and I am proud that Erwin had such friends like you in his life.” Levi’s words caught in his throat. So he remained silent and nodded. “And I’m a man of my word as well," Arthur added. He held out a long box secured by a ribbon. Levi took it. “As promised,” Arthur offered. “I made it exactly as asked.” 

“Thank you,” Levi replied, placing the box on top of the hospital night stand nearest him. 

“You have my deepest gratitude, Captain Levi,” Arthur said, bowing his large frame. “You will always be welcome in my shop as a guest of honor.” 

“I could always go for another one of your daughter’s cups of tea,” Levi suggested. Arthur bellowed out a hearty laugh before turning to leave. “Enjoy your rest, Captain Levi.” 

  
  


Meanwhile, in town, Hanji rapped her knuckles on a large door. After a moment, the security window on the door slid open. A man behind the door answered. 

“Survey Corps Commander Hanji Zoe,” greeted Hanji with a salute. “I’m here to see Nile Dalk.” 

  
  



	10. Secret Admirer

The sound of hooves clip clopping against the paved street had stopped, bringing the carriage to a halt. Levi stepped down and onto the ground and gazed in relief at the Survey Corps headquarters. Birds chirped and passed on overhead across a bright blue sky with hardly any clouds present. Levi heard shouts and cheers nearby and immediately recognized them as his Squad. Levi turned around and gestured at the driver to wait, who nodded. 

All of his squad members were outside, attempting to clean the courtyard but had obviously gotten distracted and began fooling around. They took notice of the passing carriage and Levi. Immediately, Levi was surrounded by happy (and dirty) faces of his squad. Cries of “Levi Heichou!” and “Welcome back!” surrounded him. Even Mikasa eventually put down her cleaning tools and went to join her enthusiastic comrades. Levi graced them with a soft look, happy to see the kids in good spirits. 

“What are you all doing?” He asked curiously. 

“Cleaning the courtyard,” Eren answered proudly. “Hanji san asked us as a surprise to you.” 

"Oh?" Levi asked, glancing around. "And where is Hanji?" 

"Upstairs in her new office," Mikasa answered. "Moving some of her things."

Levi looked up towards the Survey Corps building, searching the windows for Hanji. His stomach had butterflies thinking about her reaction to his arrival. He looked at the scouts. He appreciated their company but at the moment, wanted nothing more than his privacy with Hanji with no disturbances. “I have something else for you to do,” Levi stated, pulling some papers out of his pocket. 

“Eh?” Connie cried. “You want us to stop cleaning?” 

Levi offered the papers forward, which Jean took and began to unfold. “I need you all to gather the items on these lists.” Levi ordered. “I’m preparing something special this evening for dinner since you all enjoyed my cooking so much. Plus we need some supplies around the place.” 

Levi reached back into his jacket to retrieve the checkbook for the Survey Corps expenses. “And I want a receipt for everything,” he informed them sternly. 

“But do you really need all of us to go?” Floch questioned with a sigh. “That could take us a few hours...” 

Admin’s face lifted with realization. “Yes we all need to go!” He chimed. “Some of these things will be hard to get and we need to work together to find them.” 

“Take the carriage here,” Levi suggested with a backwards gesture of his thumb. 

“Wait, right now?” Eren asked, looking down at his dirty clothes. 

“Well the sooner you get back, the sooner I can work on this evening’s meal,” Levi replied. 

Sasha immediately began pushing and shoving everyone towards the carriage. “What are we waiting for? Come on!!” 

Levi smiled as his squad piled into the carriage, which thankfully was big enough to fit all of them.  _ Thanks to the spoiled Military Police and their generous accommodations, _ Levi thought. He waved at all the hands waving out the windows of the carriage and turned around to face headquarters once more. Just as he was about to take a step forward, he heard the approach of more hooves. Surprised, Levi turned around to find a delivery man who had brought his horse to a stop where the previous carriage just was. The man jumped down and tipped his hat at Levi. Then, he walked around to grab a large bouquet of flowers from inside a trunk fastened to the horse’s saddle strap. 

The man flipped through his notepad to a certain page. “I have a delivery for Survey Corps Commander Hanji Zoe.” 

Confused, Levi approached the man. “Captain Levi of the Survey Corps. I can take it to her.” 

“Sign here,” the man said, holding out a pen and the open page of his notepad. Levi scribbled his signature and the man thanked him, mounted his horse, and rode away. 

Levi eyed the variety of pastel colors in the flower arrangement before searching the bouquet for a card. He found it fastened to one of the flower stems and removed it. 

**_Hanji San,_ **

**_Thought I’d brighten your day with these._ **

**_-Flegel Reeves_ **

Levi crushed the card in his hand angrily with a snarl. He was tempted to toss the flowers, too. But realized how selfish that would be.  _ Hanji deserves beautiful flowers, _ Levi thought.  _ Even if they’re not from me. _

* * *

Hanji was busy adjusting her possessions in Erwin’s old office when she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Levi stepped inside with the large bouquet over his shoulder. “Levi! You're back already!” Hanji cried in surprise. She noticed the flowers and squinted at Levi for a moment. “And you brought me flowers? How unusual!” 

“Is it that unusual of me to bring you flowers?” Levi asked, annoyed at her response. He stepped forward and placed them on her large desk. “Besides, they’re not from me. They’re from your secret admirer. Unfortunately, that pig of a man left his name on the pathetic card.” 

Puzzled by Levi’s comment, Hanji grabbed the crumpled card that fell from the bouquet onto her desk. She read it quickly and smirked at him. “Damaged upon delivery, huh?” She asked. 

“Damn delivery people need to be more careful,” Levi quipped, taking a look around the room. He walked around her desk and saw she had moved many of her belongings from her lab and personal quarters to her new office. “Finally decided to move your ass in?” He asked. 

“Yeah,” Hanji answered, with an air of accomplishment. “I even did it neatly, too.” 

Levi didn’t answer, but was fiddling with a familiar cup on Hanji’s desk. “I did give you flowers before, you know,” he admitted softly, eyes trained on the cup. Hanji observed him curiously, waiting for him to explain. “I left some in this very cup, in some of your books...” 

Hanji paused and recalled from all the years ago when she would find various flowers in her lab and room. It was a bit of a mystery but she never dug too much into it. “That was you?” She asked incredulously. “All this time I figured it was Moblit.” 

“If I were you, I would’ve thought so too,” Levi answered drawing a circle on her desk with his finger absentmindedly. “Guess that makes me your original secret admirer.” Levi murmured quietly, avoiding her gaze. 

“Levi,” Hanji murmured. 

“I got you something, too,” Levi announced, after clearing his throat. He began fishing for the box in his other jacket pocket. After reaching it, he pulled it out and handed it to her. “Here.” 

“Ah, thanks.” Hanji said, taking the box in surprise. She opened it and pulled out a black leather strap. After carefully examining it, she noticed the larger patch of leather. “Levi...is this for my-“ 

“You can adjust the tension for a perfect fit,” Levi cut in, reaching for her eye bandages. He began to gently unravel them. “Beats having to wear these disgusting bandages all the time.” 

Once Levi was done taking off the bandages, Hanji slipped the strap over her head and positioned the piece over her eye. Then, she fiddled with the adjustable belt loop to tighten the strap to her liking. 

Hanji began looking around the room, and then with an “oh!” as if remembering something, dashed out of the office. 

“Oi!” Levi called, following after her. 

Hanji entered her personal room and immediately began rummaging through one of her desk drawers until she pulled out a mirror. She held it up and examined her reflection. 

Levi stood at the doorway anxiously watching. After too long of a silence for him, he shifted his weight uncomfortably and asked, “Well?” 

“You,” Hanji replied, still admiring the piece she adorned. “Had this custom made for me?” 

“Well If I would have known they were sold by the dozens elsewhere-“ 

Hanji began laughing, still gazing at her reflection. “I look like a pirate! Like the ones I read about in stories!” 

Levi’s face fell. However, Hanji placed the mirror down on her desk and turned to face him. “I love it!” 

Levi’s face brightened and happily approached her. He pulled her into an embrace and whispered, “I’m glad.”

  
  



	11. Promises to Keep

“So, my  _ original _ secret admirer,” Hanji teased, once they broke apart from their embrace. “You’re so cute! I can’t believe that you were the one always leaving me flowers everywhere.” 

Levi just blushed and looked away. 

“You’ve always had a thing for me...huh?” Hanji asked, her face warming at the realization. 

Levi considered her words. He wouldn’t say  _ always _ . But from as long as he could remember, he recalled having feelings for Hanji that ran deeper than he could comprehend. “It’s not like I left you bouquets like that pig man.” Levi responded, still annoyed at the idea of Flegel sending her flowers. 

“Flegel is no threat to you," Hanji assured. "Don’t be jealous of Flegel, alright?” 

Levi’s eyes widened in realization of a thought before barking out a laugh, startling Hanji. “You,” he continued to chuckle, “have no room to talk!” 

“What are you talking about?!” Snapped Hanji, confused on why he was laughing at her since laughing was a rare act for Levi. “When have I been-“ 

“The other day,” Levi cut in, catching his breath. “I just now realized why you left the hospital in that pissy ass mood.” 

Hanji turned her head defiantly, realizing where he was going with this. 

“You were jealous of my nurse,” Levi declared in triumph. “You! Of all people...fucking hypocrite,” Levi thought aloud to himself humorously. “You’re cute, too.” 

Hanji huffed, allowing herself to admit that she was jealous. “And can you blame me for being jealous?!” She turned her back and took a few steps away. “I mean, look at me and then your voluptuous nurse! You were even thrilled to have been cared for by your 'night nurse'!” 

She paused to observe out her window. She was confused for a moment as she hadn’t seen the kids anywhere for a while. 

“I meant you, dumbass.” 

“What?” Hanji asked, distracted momentarily. She turned to face Levi, who was giving her an almost predatory look. 

“My nurse,” Levi repeated. “I was referring to you.” He lowered his gaze. “I can see how you would mixup who I meant. But I was talking about you. You always take care of me when I’m sick, or injured. Even when I ask you not to-” 

“Don’t lie and tell me you didn’t find her attractive,” Hanji spat icily, turning back around. 

“What if I did?” Levi asked, approaching Hanji. “We’ve been over my type of woman.” 

Levi reached out, gently cupping Hanji’s face and turning her to look at him. “We all know having a sharp mind is a huge turn on for me,” he murmured huskily. He stared intensely into her remaining eye. “You may only have one working one now, but a woman who has intelligent, gorgeous, brown eyes is also my type.” He smiled and kissed the tip of Hanji’s nose. “Apparently, I have a thing for big ass noses, too.” 

“Asshole,” Hanji giggled as her demeanor softened. Their lips met and they began to kiss slowly and gently, feeling as if they were melting into one another as their longing for one another had reached its limit. Their gasps for air and the feel of each other's hot breath on their lips served to intensify the moment. As the heat and passion rose, Levi began to unbutton and remove Hanji’s shirt and bra as she shrugged them off. Levi began to grope Hanji’s breasts, as she groaned. 

“Large breasts aren't really my thing,” Levi sighed. He continued to massage them, all the while, lazily dragging his lips across Hanji’s neck and shoulders, planting kiss after kiss. 

“I love yours exactly how they are,” he admitted sultrily, taking one of her nipples in his mouth as he began to move his hands down her pants to unfasten the button and zipper. Pulling them down, Hanji did the rest by shaking them off. Levi reached behind her and grabbed handfuls of her buttocks. “My type of woman also has a nice ass,” he teased. He spun her around so that her back was towards him. He knelt down and began softly caressing her legs. 

“But what turns me on the most,” he murmured in a low growl. “Is a nice pair of long, slender legs.” He began to kiss and nip at the skin on her thighs and calves as he pulled down her underwear. Levi tossed them to the side and turned his attention back to Hanji, whose legs were shaking slightly in anticipation. 

“Hands on the wall, bend over slightly,” he ordered, eyeing her mischievously.

Hanji laughed nervously, “Yes sir.” 

Levi rolled his eyes and gave a soft, but firm smack to one of her butt cheeks. “Just do it.” 

Hanji obliged with a yelp and Levi knelt down behind her, continuing to caress her legs as his face was inches before her exposed vagina. He blew a cool stream of air towards her pulsating region as his fingers ran up her legs until they were on his desired target. He spread the lips slightly open and slowly ran his finger down until one slipped inside her. 

Hanji’s breathing increased to panting softly as Levi continued to pump his finger inside. Noticing her arousal, Levi then pulled out his finger and slipped his tongue into her, tasting the juices that were flowing from her. As he did this, his hands went back to caressing her legs. Hanji’s shaking increased as she began to gasp out shrill cries. 

“Levi,” she whimpered out between her moans and gasps. “Wait,” she attempted to bring her legs together. However, Levi noticed and braced his hands on her inner thighs, keeping them apart as he slipped his tongue out of her. 

“I promised you I’d be back for more,” Levi purred. He ran his tongue agonizingly slow up her opened, slicked entrance as she cried out at the sensation. “Want me to stop?” He asked, enjoying the fact that he could feel her trembling underneath his hands. 

“Dammit...no,” Hanji cursed, knowing damn well he was smirking behind his smug voice. "But...the kids-"

Levi slipped his tongue back inside and began swirling it inside her, nibbling on her surrounding folds softly. Hanji let out a sharp cry before continuing to gasp soft moans. He let go of one of her thighs and slid his hand up to assist his mouth with pleasuring her womanhood. Slipping two fingers inside her, he began to pump faster, turned on by Hanji’s cries. With his other hand, his fingers began to trace and tease her clitoris. Hanji began to gasp his name with mewls of pleasure as Levi listened in amusement. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her so aroused before. Hanji finally came and moaned cries of ecstasy. 

Levi stood up slowly and lovingly bestowed a trail of kisses up Hanji’s back. 

“You’re making such a sexy voice, Hanji,” he murmured into her skin, as his hands slipped around her slowly, sliding up her stomach and groping her breasts once more. He pulled her against his body, enjoying her skin against his own as he groaned at the contact. 

“I'm being too loud,” she panted, feeling dazed from her climax. “I’m trying to keep it down-“ 

“More,” he whispered, swirling his tongue inside her left ear before biting the lobe with a quick nip of his teeth. He let his lips linger by her ear. “I want to hear more.” 

“The-the kids,” she protested. 

“I sent them on some errands earlier,” he admitted, unzipping and stepping out of his pants. "Giving us the place to ourselves for a while.” He grabbed his erection and slipped it up and down Hanji’s pulsating labia to prepare himself to enter her. “Can I, Hanji?” he purred seductively. 

Hanji hesitated, considering how long the kids would be out. She looked back and met Levi's intense, hungry gaze. Then, she nodded. 

“Hands on the wall,” Levi reminded her. He watched her brace herself before slamming into her in one quick thrust. 

Hanji screamed at the sudden invasion and tossed her head back to glare at him. “Hey!” She cried. “What’s with you?!” 

Levi steadied himself by holding onto her hips for a moment, momentarily intoxicated by the sensation of having his penis wrapped tightly by her throbbing walls. “You’re the one who always insists I be rough," he reasoned. He pulled out of her slightly and thrust back in before repeating over and over. His pace was a bit more aggressive than he preferred. However, he did it for Hanji. As he panted from his exertion, he realized it was also out of desperation in feeling himself inside her again. He almost lost himself from her, and he never wanted to feel that ache again. 

Hanji braced herself with her hands on the stone wall, moaning. “God I missed you Levi,” she moaned. Levi grunted, as sweat ran down his forehead. He let go of her hips and reached around her, placing his hands over hers, interlacing their fingers. The closer proximity of their bodies deepened the penetration and they both let out gasps of excitement. Levi swayed and grinded his hips against hers as his body flushed against her backside. Again, Hanji was emitting moans and cries he’d never heard before. He began to bite the back of her neck and try to work his way further to kiss her, but found he was limited in that position. “As much,” he panted. “As much as you like this rough shit...I don’t like...that I can't kiss you...as easily.” 

“What are you talking about?” Hanji cried with a smirk. She twisted her top torso, entwining her arms around Levi’s neck to kiss him. Levi had to immediately grip her hips once more to prevent them both from falling. “Oi,” he cried against Hanji’s lips. “I said ‘as easily’.” 

He pulled out of her, making Hanji growl in frustration. Levi smiled and pulled her into an embrace. They kissed, their lips parted, allowing their tongues to dance with one another. Gasping apart, Levi whispered, "I've missed you too." He motioned towards her bed. Hanji pouted and was about to make her way before Levi held onto her wrist to stop her. She turned around and froze when Levi attempted to remove her eye patch. Her hands reached up to stop him. “Hey, I just put this thing on!” 

“And I want it off,” Levi rebuked, still trying to grasp at it. “Now.” 

He could tell Hanji was reluctant and paused. His fingers brushed down her cheek softly. “You can wear this thing as often as you want,” Levi explained. “But when I’m making love to you face to face, I want this thing off.” 

Hanji gave an annoyed look. “Why?” 

“For I could see the damn woman that I fell in love with,” Levi answered, growing red in the face. Hanji continued to give him a questionable face. “Scars and all,” Levi concluded. 

Hanji gave a soft sigh of defeat and slipped it off, tossing it to her desk before heading to her bed and lying down. Levi joined her after removing his shirt. As he mounted himself above her, staring at her tenderly, Hanji looked away. 

“Your scars are nothing to be ashamed of,” he soothed while lifting her glasses to kiss her around her injured eye. He cupped her face and held it facing him as he planted a deep kiss to her lips. He looked to her shoulder that had a large scar from the grappling hook that pierced it from their battle under Reiss’s chapel. He began to kiss that area too. “To me, they show sacrifices made towards our freedom. And you should never feel embarrassed of them. At least not in front of me, ok?” 

Hanji considered his words and nodded. Levi repositioned himself and leaned down to take Hanji’s lips in his. He placed his hands on her inner thighs and gently pushed them up and apart. He re-entered her slower this time, groaning into their kiss. His pace was slow at first, as he bestowed multiple kisses to Hanji’s lips, her face, and her forehead. “I enjoy this position much better,” Levi admitted, caressing her face as he adorned her with a passionate assault on her lips and tongue. "I missed you so much, Hanji." He removed her glasses and set them aside, ignoring Hanji's cry of protest about seeing his face. "I'll hold you close," Levi murmured, pressing his forehead affectionately against hers. "So you can see me."

Hanji wrapped her arms around Levi’s neck as a gesture of agreement as she continued to kiss him back. Levi adjusted to sit on his knees while leaning forward as he pulled Hanji’s hips onto his. Her legs wrapped around him and held on tight so she could rock her hips to match Levi's rhythm. As promised, he held her close as he continued to pull her onto him as he thrust back, increasing their pace. Both moaned into each other’s kisses. 

“Hanji,” Levi cried out, getting close. 

“I love you,” Hanji sighed. 

Levi’s embrace on her tightened. “You too,” he gasped. “Ha-Hanji! I love you, I love you,” he continued to whimper as he orgasmed inside her. Hanji smiled as her eyes met with Levi’s loving gaze. Shaking from exhaustion, Levi collapsed onto Hanji as she let out an “oof” before giggling. She began to caress his back and arms while he regained his strength. He looked up at her and saw her knowing look. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Emotional face.” 

Hanji giggled as she hugged him tighter.

  
  



	12. Family

Levi sat behind Hanji on her bed, helping her dry her hair. Both were freshly bathed and changed into their casual clothing. 

“I thought they would be back by now,” Hanji thought aloud as Levi finished up. “What did you send them to get?” 

“It’s not my fault those brats can’t find shit,” Levi retorted. “They’d better hurry up if they want dinner.” 

Almost as if on cue, they heard the loud bangs and voices of the 104th squad enter the barracks. It wasn’t hard to hear them in the now empty corridors of Survey Corps headquarters. 

“I’ll go meet them and start the dinner preparations,” Levi announced, hugging Hanji from behind and enjoying her freshly bathed scent. He kissed her sweetly on the cheek before pushing himself off the floor. 

He stood up and began walking towards the door of Hanji’s room. “Do you want my help with any of the cooking?” She asked. 

“No,” Levi answered, hand on the doorknob. He turned to look at Hanji. “Just come down in a bit when it’s ready.” 

“Eh, you just think I’ll burn everything,” Hanji muttered in disappointment, crossing her legs and sulking in a child’s pout. 

“As true as that is,” Levi agreed in a teasing manner, “I’d rather treat you and the brats. So, take it easy tonight, ok? You have it tough as it is being the new commander.” 

Hanji’s mood lifted and she smiled at him graciously before Levi gave her a soft smirk before leaving and closing the door behind him. 

“Oi brats,” Levi called as he entered the kitchen. The 104th squad was unloading the supplies onto the countertops. “Did you get everything?” Levi asked. 

“Heichou!” Eren greeted in surprise as he noticed Levi. “We just got back.” 

“It sure took us long enough,” Floch muttered. “But we managed to get everything requested.” 

“Receipt and checkbook?” Levi asked. 

“Oh yeah,” Jean recalled, fishing the items out of his pocket. “Here,” he offered as he handed the items to Levi. He took them and examined everything briefly before putting them in his pocket. 

“Good job you guys,” Levi thanked them, earning the excited cries and starry eyed faces of his squad. He began to help unpack the supplies. 

“Do you need any help with the dinner preparations Heichou?” Sasha asked. 

“And risk you eating everything?” Levi asked. He looked at them all. “Just make sure the place is clean enough so that we can eat.” He regarded their dirty clothes from earlier. “And wash up too.” 

* * *

Dinner was served and the 104th Squad, Hanji and Levi all sat together at the same table. Everyone was admiring what Levi had prepared for the evening. He had made a fresh salad with slices of tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. The main course had medium-cooked steaks (Levi disliked seeing any red on the meat in fear of getting sick). On the side were baked potatoes, adorned with butter, chopped green onions, and sour cream. He also prepared steamed vegetables of broccoli, green beans and carrots. Freshly baked bread was bountiful on the table, and Levi even allowed the kids to have a bit of the wine he had picked out. 

“My favorite!” Hanji cried happily as she looked at the now empty bottle. 

“A-are you sure we can drink some of this, Heicho?” Armin asked hesitantly. 

“It’s not like I’m allowing you to get piss drunk every night,” Levi answered. “A little wine won’t hurt this evening.” 

“But...” Eren hesitated, waiting for permission to eat. Sasha shot him a glare of impatience. 

“Why the occasion?” 

“Why?” Asked Levi. “Does one need a reason to eat well?” 

“The last time we ate like this, was before...” Mikasa’s voice trailed off. 

“Are we going somewhere else dangerous?!” Connie blurted out. They all began chattering as Levi closed his eyes impatiently, getting ready to shout at them. 

Hanji’s hand rested on his shoulder gently. “Our next mission will be the most dangerous of all,” Hanji answered. Their squad grew quiet and looked at her. “But it’s not going to be for a while,” she continued. “We are now faced with a future that we cannot even imagine. Who are these people who determined us to be devils? How much larger is our actual world?” Hanji lowered her glass and gazed down at the table briefly. Then, she met their faces with a grim smile. 

“Many have been sacrificed to get us to this point. All of us at this table are what remains of the Survey Corps. We have all suffered and watched many perish before us. But that’s what bonds us, right? 

“I look upon each and every one of you fondly, and hope you do the same with each other, along with myself and Levi. It’s special times like this that we shouldn’t question, but rather  _ cherish _ that we can still do these things with one another. So, my soldiers, enjoy this meal that was so well prepared by the kindness of Levi’s heart.” 

Levi took the moment to roll his eyes, earning nervous sniggers from the kids. Hanji chuckled too before getting serious once more. “Continue to cherish and protect one another. We continue to do the same for humanity. And I look forward to helping lead the way for all of us. Are you with me?” 

The table erupted in cheers and lifted glasses. Cries of 'We’re with you Hanji San!' And 'Lead the Way, Hanji San!' were called. 

Levi gave an indication for them to dig in, and everyone began eating. He reached under the table carefully and gave Hanji’s leg a quick squeeze. Hanji smiled, but made no eye contact in case someone was watching. However, Armin exchanged a knowing smile with Mikasa. During their meal, Hanji had made a mess of her face. As Levi grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped her face, he did so with the most tender of touches, despite the disgusted look he portrayed. Armin looked away and noticed Mikasa had spotted the tender moment too and eyed him. He smiled at her but she nearly gave a grimace and a slight shake of her head. 

* * *

“Ugh,” groaned Levi. “That one was especially difficult.” 

“It was,” Hanji sighed, as she walked alongside Levi back to the cart that stored some personal belongings of past soldiers. “Come on,” she encouraged. “We’re almost done.” 

“Don’t say it like it's some damn chore,” Levi scolded. 

“I didn’t mean to,” Hanji replied apologetically, hands delving into her coat pockets. “I was just trying to lift your spirits by saying our task is almost finished.” 

Hanji and Levi had spent most of their day traveling from within the Wall Rose district. They had finally gotten around to gathering the personal belongings of the soldiers that had died during the battle for Shiganshina. Now, they had dedicated their time to making sure those belongings made it to their surviving families, if any. It was difficult to locate many of them, since those who were living in Wall Maria district had been relocated to Rose. 

Levi had volunteered to accompany Hanji during this task, knowing how difficult it was to face the families. He knew she was much better at being sensitive to such things. But he knew it was better to have the support of someone else with you while giving your condolences.

He was just relieved that he was done with assisting the Military Police. Hanji had informed him earlier that when she came to visit him in the hospital, she had also gone to see Nile. Apparently, Levi's injury really upset Hanji and she made sure to clear him of any further obligations that might have been part of their earlier agreement to have him assist the MPs with their duties. 

“Oi Levi,” Hanji remembered as they boarded the carriage to take them home. “Are you busy tomorrow?” 

“What are you planning?” Levi asked suspiciously, placing his hand on the small of her back to help her up. 

“I’m not planning anything,” Hanji replied defensively as Levi sat down next to her. “Historia had asked that we stop by her farm to check in on the orphans. She hasn’t been able to stop by lately.” 

“I guess her duties have her tied, huh?” Levi asked, looking out the window towards the capital of Mitras. He knew that Historia had always made time for the orphans, so he figured she must really be busy. 

“So, you’re fine with it?” Hanji asked. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Levi replied. 

“I don’t know,” Hanji answered, slightly confused. “You don’t seem the type to be comfortable around children.” 

“And supervising the brats on my squad gave you that idea?” 

“I meant younger children. You aren’t exactly the patient type.” 

“I’m patient with you.” Levi offered softly, taking her hand in his as he looked bashfully out the window.

“Hmmm,” thought Hanji, giving his hand a squeeze. “Guess we’ll just have to see how you fare tomorrow...this should be interesting.” 

* * *

“Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by,” one of the women assisting with the orphans gushed to both Levi and Hanji. “Her majesty hasn’t been able to come by and the children have missed her so. But they’ll be so excited to see that they have such special visitors!!” 

As planned, Levi and Hanji had made time to stop by the orphanage that Historia normally ran herself. Historia was not present herself, but her attitude and kindness seemed to have rubbed off on the other staff that assisted in the care of the children.

“It’s our pleasure,” Hanji exclaimed, waving off her gratitude. “We have to make sure our little ones are happy. They are our future!” 

Levi clicked his tongue at the cliche statement and continued to follow alongside Hanji as the woman led them on a tour of the facility. She introduced herself as Mary. 

“Here’s where our youngest members are,” Mary announced, gesturing to one of the buildings. “It’s here that our littlest ones can play, develop early friendships, and feel loved and cared for by our nurturing staff.” 

The sound of a child crying interrupted her. Hanji and Levi’s attention were now focused on another approaching woman with a crying child, no more than a year old, in her arms. 

“Ah,” sighed Mary. “This is our newest member.” She greeted the approaching woman. “Still not calming down, is he Hilda?” 

“Not at all,” the other woman replied. She looked exhausted, as she tried in vain to rock the child in her arms.

The small male child Hilda held was frail looking and a bit pale in color. He had black, silky hair, like Levi’s and Mikasa’s, and he appeared to have light brown eyes. It was hard to tell when the boy kept shutting his eyes to wail some more. 

“This poor little guy was found abandoned in the underground,” Mary explained sympathetically to Levi and Hanji. “He was brought to us the other day. And he hasn’t stopped crying since. We’ve managed to get him to eat and he doesn't seem sick. Poor little guy...” 

At the mention of the Underground, Hanji shared a look with Levi but didn’t say anything. She approached the woman named Hilda and held out her arms. “May I?” 

Surprised, the woman gently handed the boy to Hanji. He squirmed around at first, but Hanji began to slowly rock him and hum. A dumbfounded Levi stared at Hanji as she hummed a lullaby to the child. However, his shock was soon directed towards the child in her arms, who began to pacify. The two ladies gasped silently too as they watched the child become soothed and begin to fall asleep in Hanji’s arms. 

Soon, the child was fast asleep. Hanji continued to gently rock the child, to make sure he was truly pacified. As Levi continued to stare at Hanji, he felt a few things brewing inside him. First and strangely, he felt a bit envious of the child.  _ I didn’t know she knew any lullabies.. _ .Levi thought.  _ She never hummed any to help me sleep...  _

However, what overwhelmed him, was this sensation that was warming up his heart in a way he’d never felt before. Seeing Hanji with that child in her arms stirred similar emotions he felt whenever he saw mothers holding their young children. It reminded him of his mom. However, seeing Hanji that way was somehow different. It made him feel...warm...warmer than the usual way she made him feel. 

“Captain Levi, if you would follow me, I would like to lead you to where we could use your help.” 

Levi snapped out of his trance. “Huh?” He asked, looking at the woman who just spoke. Mary signaled for him to follow her and walked off. He gave a fleeting glance at Hanji, who smiled at him encouragingly. He frowned, not knowing where he was being led or what his task would be.  _ Always volunteering me for shit, _ he thought in annoyance. As he followed Mary, he cast a look back, knowing he would prefer to continue watching Hanji with that child. 

“We used to have this gentleman who would come by and volunteer with the older children,” Mary explained, as they walked towards another building on the property. “Recently, he’s been recovering from a cold,” she went on. “He used to organize physical activities and games for the children to keep them busy.” 

“Is that where I come in today?” Levi asked, growing wary. 

“You don’t have to organize anything,” Mary offered apologetically. “But they would really appreciate someone to play with.” 

_ Play?! _ Levi repeated in his head.  _ I don’t know how to play! _ He began to seriously regret his decision to come down here with Hanji. 

* * *

“Mister...hey Mister!” A female child continued to poke at Levi. 

“What?” Levi asked, annoyed as he sat on the grass, surrounded by wide-eyed children. 

The child made a frightened face at Levi’s demeanor but swallowed her fear. “Are you going to play with us, or what?” 

“Or what,” Levi grumbled. He sighed and looked at the children. “What do you guys normally...play?” 

“Um...” another child piped up, screwing up his face in thought. “We can play Tag!” 

“What’s Tag?” Levi asked, his face displaying disinterest, as always. The children began to excitedly explain the rules before nominating him as ‘it’. 

Their decision was immediately regretted a few moments later when they were screaming for their lives as an impossibly fast man with a scary face was in pursuit of them. 

As they all sat on the ground, panting in relief as a discouraged Levi sulking nearby, another child offered. “How about Hide and Seek?” 

“You think that’s safe?” Another child asked, giving Levi a hesitant look. Levi caught the child’s glance and looked away with a grimace, feeling stupid. 

They gathered their courage and approached Levi again in an attempt to explain the new rules. 

“3...2...1!” Levi called, looking up from his arm which rested on the nearby tree. He looked around at the vacant field around him. “Ready or not...” Levi called, feeling even sillier with each passing moment. “Tch...here I come!” 

Levi began to wander the field, checking behind crates, moving rocks, anywhere he felt a child would hide. He was impressed. “Little brats are good,” Levi thought aloud as he approached an area with some trees. There was some shrubbery nearby and he figured that was the best hiding spot. Levi began to creep towards the bushes, when he began to hear giggling. 

He stopped and was about to push some of the bushes to the side, when he heard “Now!” coming from above him. Levi looked up and was immediately ambushed by some small children who leapt out of the tree. Levi fell to the ground in a heap as the kids bounced softly on his back. More kids jumped out of the bushes, screaming “dog pile!” also landing on Levi. 

Levi remained on the floor, appalled by what the children were doing to him. He was reminded of when he and the other scouts would spar with each other and realization came over him.  _ Now this is my style of play _ , Levi thought as he began to gently toss the kids off of him. He began to carefully wrestle with some of them. Some clung to his arms as he stood up and twirled, sending them flying around and crying in glee. As Levi rough-housed with the screaming and laughing children, he felt a swelling sensation in his chest. Like a balloon inflating that was trying to escape. It wasn't painful, but the urge to to keep his face a blank slate was diminishing more and more. Instead, he was becoming overwhelmed with the feeling of wanting to laugh and smile along with the children.  _ Is this what play is all about? _ Levi thought to himself, not knowing any of this himself as a child. He never had the opportunity to play. Kenny just taught him to swing a knife, curse, and beat the living crap out of people. But this...this was actually  _ fun _ . 

Hanji happened to be turning the corner when she spotted Levi and the children. She smiled in amusement and decided to watch from a distance. It made her extremely happy seeing Levi so carefree, playing with the children and making them laugh. She felt her heart warm as she saw him in a different light. She had never seen Levi so relaxed before. Sure, he was relaxed around her. But he mostly just sat quietly and listened to her talk or read aloud. This new Levi...he seemed almost...boyish.

After a few more moments, Hanji cleared her throat. Levi froze mid-lift as he held two of the children in the air. “Hanji,” he greeted in surprise, unsure on whether to feel embarrassed by his behavior, or excited to see her again. 

“Looks like you’re having fun,” she teased, stifling a giggle. “I was just coming to get you. It’s almost time for us to go.” 

Levi set down the two kids he had and they all gave a sad whine. “One more game?” One of the children pleaded. 

“Yeah, please?” 

“You can play too, Commander Hanji!” 

“Alright,” Hanji agreed with a relenting smile, and began to approach them. “One game. What shall we play?” 

“Duck Duck Goose!” One of the children exclaimed and they all agreed loudly. 

After explaining the rules to both Hanji and Levi, everyone sat in a circle. A few rounds were played until someone chose Hanji as the ‘goose’. She chased the child but slipped on her footing, allowing the child to take her spot in the circle. Levi gave a chuckle as she sighed and began to do her pace around the children tapping their heads with counts of “duck”. As she approached Levi, she smiled and tapped him quickly with a ‘goose!’ Having figured she was going to choose him, he was able to fly after her quickly. After a few seconds of chasing Hanji, Levi was able to catch up. He grasped her by the waist and spun her around to face him. He leaned in towards her and with a smug grin, declared. “I win, Commander Hanji."

Their moment of tender eye contact was broken when the children all teased with “Oooooooh”. Levi grimaced and let Hanji go. “Ok you brats,” he announced, turning to face them. “You’ve had your fun.” 

* * *

“Ok everyone,” Mary exclaimed, gesturing to all the children which sat down before them. “What do we say to our wonderful visitors?” 

“Thank you!” The children cried in unison. 

“You Survey Corps guys are amazing!” One of the children said. 

“Commander Hanji, is it true you used to study the Titans?” Another asked. 

“Well, yes,” Hanji admitted. “I was the Survey Corps’ Titan scientist...although I haven’t had much time for that anymore.” 

“You’re the one that created those Titan guillotines, right?” 

“I did have help from our engineering department...” Hanji admitted modestly, rubbing the back of her neck. 

“Whoa...thank you for keeping us safe Hanji San!!” 

Hanji smiled shyly and Levi watched her in admiration as well, fully agreeing with the children. 

They began to thank Levi as well, commenting on his Humanity’s Strongest title. Levi patted their heads affectionately before leaving with Hanji back to Survey Corps headquarters. 

* * *

Hanji broke her kiss from Levi so that she could begin trailing soft kisses down his neck and collar region. He lied down on his bed so that Hanji could maneuver easier down his torso as she straddled his hips. As he looked up, his gaze lingered towards her unbuttoned shirt, showing her bra and bare stomach. He stared for a moment, recalling the memory of Hanji at the orphanage. How much it suited her, holding that child that could pass as their own. 

His eyes traveled to her stomach and for a moment, Levi imagined Hanji possibly bearing a child in her womb. And not just  _ any _ child.  _ His _ child... _ their _ child. He became flushed from the idea and covered his face with his hands. 

“Levi?” Hanji asked, confused. “Are you ok? What’s wrong?” 

Levi merely made a muffled groan from behind his hands. 

“Did I hurt you?” Hanji continued to ask, attempting to get off of him. Levi moved his hands and Hanji could see that he was visibly embarrassed and red in the face. 

“Do...” he wondered how to place his next few words. “Do you still take...those contraceptive pills?”

Hanji blinked at him. “Of course,” she admitted. “Why-“ 

“At the orphanage today...” Levi confessed. “After seeing you with that crying brat...it had me thinking...” he looked away in embarrassment. “You don't look bad as a mom.” 

Hanji absorbed his words for a moment before giving him a “give me a break” look. “Want to continue the Ackerman bloodline that badly, huh?” 

“Idiot,” Levi growled. He hesitantly looked at her again. “If I was that eager to spread my Ackerman seed around, I'd be knocking up every woman that sent me a marriage proposal." He shrugged at her apologetically and offered a sheepish smile for his harsh words. "I’d rather have a kid that’s more like you anyway.” 

Hanji was touched and just smiled at Levi even though she said nothing. “But I know we can’t have children...” he admitted. “How can we bring our child into this world when everything is still shit? I just...thought it’d be nice.” 

“Ne Levi,” Hanji finally responded. “We already have kids.” 

“Huh?” 

“9 of them: Eren, Mikasa, Armin-“ 

“Tch! They’re not our kids, you weird woman.” 

“Maybe not biologically,” Hanji replied. “But at the moment, what’s left is all we have. I kinda see them as our family. You, me, and them.” 

Levi regarded her for a moment, thinking about what she said. “Family...yeah,” he agreed. He liked the way it sounded. “I guess you’re right.” 

Hanji smiled and pushed him back down on his bed so that she was on top of him again. She drew circles on his chest, causing Levi to gulp softly, growing shy. “Still so cute, Levi,” she murmured as she leaned down and gave him a soft, but lingering kiss. "My Levi," her words tickled his lips as he hummed in contentment. 

“We might not be able to conceive a child of our own yet,” she whispered. “But that doesn’t mean we still can’t have fun doing the act of making one. Shall we continue where we left off?”

  
  



	13. Winter Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this Chapter a bit differently than the others. Normally, my stories are written in primarily Levi's or Hanji's perspective. However, in this chapter, I wanted to include the point of views of some of the members of the 104th. The reason why I did this was to show how some of them are taking notice of Levi and Hanji's deepening relationship. I figured that by now, especially after being only the 9 of them now, somebody's bound to notice their interactions with one another.

The weather grew significantly colder outside. What began as a light dusting, grew to heaps of snow that blanketed the ground outside. It was during this time that the Survey Corps received notice that those Titan Guillotines placed around Trost and Wall Rose grew eerily quiet. It was requested that they take a survey to the areas to inspect them and ensure that they were undamaged from the ground level. It had been over half a year since the Survey Corps had left headquarters to perform any such expeditions. Although feeling a bit uneasy at the prospect of encountering any more Titans still roaming the Wall Maria area, they all felt a twinge of excitement at the idea of venturing out again. The soldiers could all sense each other's anticipation amongst one another as they eagerly packed their supplies and prepared their horses for the journey. 

The Survey Corps had previously secured some bases along the Wall Rose Border to use in the event that the weather worsened, or they needed somewhere to lodge. However, there was one such shelter that was supposed to be established as their home base. It was located near the last guillotine that they were supposed to check. It was a decently sized cabin, equipped with multiple fireplaces so that the soldiers can be warm in both the bedrooms and the living areas. 

It was at this aforementioned cabin that the Scouts were currently at. They had just returned from inspecting all the previous guillotines to find them devoid of any damage. So, it was almost like a waste of time. However, the bright side was that they had encountered no Titans whatsoever. So, it seemed as if the Titans really were disappearing from the area. Soon enough, the people should be able to expand once more to the Wall Maria territory. 

**Jean's POV**

"Oi," a gruff voice interrupted Jean's daydreaming. "Is my lesson boring you?" Jean looked up in surprise to find Levi glaring at him. 

"Ah! No! No Heichou!" Jean stammered, hands up in defense. Levi clicked his tongue and went back to going over his safety precautions. He had been in the middle of his lessons on safety in the snow when Jean's mind wandered. He had been outside with Levi. Accompanying Jean was Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Sasha, Connie, and Floch were inside the cabin, preparing the fire in the main living area and also beginning dinner preparations. 

Jean had dutily brought his attention back to Levi's lesson when the Captain froze mid-sentence. His eyes opened wide in surprise. Snow had ricocheted off the back of the Captain's head and Jean looked behind Levi to see Hanji. She had a mischievous smile on her face as she began to bend down to pick up some more snow off the ground. She did a horrible job hiding her sniggering. Levi's face returned to its normal scowl before continuing his lesson. However, another snowball soon hit him in the back of the head. 

"Um," Eren began hesitantly. "He-Heichou, Hanji san is-"

"I know," Levi snapped, squeezing his eyes and doing his best to pretend nothing happened. "I'm sure the commander will stop this nonsense," he opened his eyes and raised his voice for the last part, "if she VALUES HER LIFE!"

Hanji stopped and seemed as if she was going to walk away. Jean, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa all exchanged uncomfortable glances, knowing that this wasn't the end of it. 

"Like I was saying," Levi impatiently continued. "When you find that the trigger is stuck on-" SMACK! Another snowball hit Levi on the back of the head. Jean and the others stepped away from Levi as his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Goddammit Hanji!!" Levi roared before stooping down and gathering some snow in his hands. Hanji did her best to take off while inches deep in the snow. She burst out laughing and ran towards the treeline. Levi aimed and chucked his snowball with breakneck speed at the tree nearest Hanji. 

Hanji stopped and looked back at the tree his snowball hit. "Huh? Levi you missed-" Hanji was suddenly buried under a large pile of snow. It had fallen from the branches of the tree hovering above Hanji. Jean and the others began giggling at the sight of the mountain of snow that buried Hanji. Levi gave a smug look as he straightened himself back up. However, after watching the pile of snow, formally known as Hanji, not move for almost a minute, his face contorted to a worried expression. 

"Shit!" he cursed and dashed towards the pile, diving to his knees in order to dig her out with his hands. Jean, Eren, Armin and Mikasa joined Levi afterwards in an attempt to help. However, he had just dove his gloved hands into the snow when it began to shift around him. Levi hesitated before Hanji burst out of the pile of snow, hugging herself and shivering. "C-c-cold! Holy Crap, that is c-cold!!" Levi gave a sigh of relief and began dusting the snow off of Hanji's head. "Come on, dumbass," Levi muttered as he stood up and extended a hand towards Hanji. Jean observed as Levi watched Hanji with a soft look. She took Levi's hand and he pulled her up. "Armin, fetch me a blanket." Levi ordered. "The rest of you, make sure the fireplace is lit with plenty of wood. Lesson's over."

Armin dashed on ahead to ensure he had a blanket ready for Hanji by the time they entered the cabin. Jean, Eren, and Mikasa ran off afterwards and ensured there was a decent blaze already going inside. Jean had just finished pushing one of the chairs closer towards the fire when Levi and Hanji entered. Armin met them at the door and Levi took the blanket, thanking him. He helped Hanji out of her drenched coat and hung it up on a nearby rack. Then, the captain placed a gentle hand on their commander's back as he guided her towards the chair that Jean had just moved. 

Levi ordered Hanji to sit down and she obliged. Levi hoisted the blanket upwards to expand it as he made sure to cover Hanji. She gripped the edges and pulled them to wrap herself tightly. Levi rubbed her shoulders quickly for a few moments to help her warm up. " _ This _ , boys and girls," Levi announced to his audience, who had grown shy upon watching Levi's display of affection towards Hanji. "Is why we don't fool around in the snow." He looked down at Hanji and gave her shoulders a tender squeeze. "Isn't that right, Hanji?" She looked up at him and gave a sheepish smile as she continued to shiver. Levi tsked before ruffling her hair and wandering to the kitchen, "I'll make you some tea to warm you up." 

Jean leaned towards Armin and whispered to him, "I think you're right about those two, Armin. I've never seen Levi Heichou display any form of affection towards anyone before."

"Well I don't think Captain wants to appear soft in front of any of us," Armin reasoned. "But I think with Hanji, he doesn't need to pull that facade...but he lets it slip sometimes in front of us."

* * *

**Eren's POV**

"Oi oi oi!" Levi called in concern as he stalked after Hanji, who was pulling on her now dry jacket as she headed towards the front door. Eren's attention was piqued as he watched his two superiors in concern. It had already been over an hour since they'd returned and dinner was almost ready to be served. Eren, however, was tasked with firewood duty and was making sure the living room fireplace was stocked. So, as he crouched down, stacking the logs, he tried to remain as quiet and hidden as possible to avoid being detected. 

"I can't believe we forgot one," Hanji growled to herself, as she fastened the last button on her coat. 

"It's fine," Levi tried to persuade her. "If the others didn't have any damage, neither does this one." He began to paw at her, trying to prevent her from putting on her jacket.

"It's right next to us," Hanji reasoned, batting him away. "I'll be quick."

"The hell you are!" Levi snapped, losing his patience. "Have you seen the weather outside?!" He wrenched open the door to demonstrate her point. As he did this, a frosty chill poured into the room. Eren startled and bunched himself together to keep from getting cold. 

"It's just a bit of snow," Hanji argued, dumbing down the situation. "I'll be back before-"

"Then I'm coming with you!" Levi declared, turning to grab his coat off the rack.

"No," Hanji commanded, her voice changing from its usual passive tone to one more assertive. 

Levi's eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks. "What?" he asked.

"That's an order," Hanji answered firmly. "I need someone to look after these kids while I'm away."

"I'm not a fucking babysitter!"

" _ You _ are a commanding officer and shall do as instructed!"

The two glared at each other momentarily. Levi's eyes wavered with emotion before relenting, letting go of the door and removing himself from Hanji's path. "Tch! Do what you want."

Hanji left without another word, yanking the door shut behind her. Eren watched fearfully as Levi stormed past him towards the bathroom, not even noticing the cowering teen. Eren's eyes caught sight of Levi's fists, which were clenched and trembling. "Heichou is really worried," thought Eren quietly to himself once Levi was out of earshot. 

Armin came out of the kitchen to inquire about all the shouting. Eren filled him in on the argument. Armin merely nodded before informing Eren that it was time for dinner. 

The dining table was set and the 104th all sat together with their bowls of stew before them. There was an air of unease present. Connie asked, "What about Levi Heichou?"

"He..." Eren answered quietly. "He still hasn't come out-"

Levi suddenly stepped foot into the dining room as he made his way from the bathroom towards the living room. However, he paused when he saw the nearby window. Seemingly unaware of his squad in the same room, he stared out of it briefly in silence before being interrupted by Floch. "Levi Heichou. Are you going to join us for dinner?"

"Not hungry," Levi replied shortly before turning to exit the dining room towards the living room. Some of the cadets shrugged and began to eat. 

"I think Heichou is worried for Hanji san," Eren announced softly. 

"Think so too," Jean agreed, meeting Eren's eyes before glancing towards the living room that Levi was in. "She...should have returned by now, right?" He looked at everyone else, who displayed looks of uncertainty with one another and back at him. Suddenly, they heard the front door open and shut loudly. Eren and Jean both shot up from their seats. They gave each other a brief glare before remembering why they stood up in the first place. Then, they ran towards the living room as Mikasa called after Eren in concern. 

Jean and Eren stopped the moment they entered the living room. They had fully expected Hanji to have returned. However, they stood in a vacant room. Jean and Eren exchanged a look of worry before Jean stated, "I think Heichou went outside to search for her." Eren nodded before approaching the coat rack. "Oi, what are you doing?" 

"I'm going to go wait for her, too," Eren answered with determination as he pulled on his winter coat. Jean nodded and joined Eren at the coat rack, grabbing for his. 

"Me too," he replied. They shared a brief, mutual look of comradery before turning to open the door. 

* * *

Eren and Jean spotted Levi close to the treeline. He held up a lantern and seemed to be scanning the area. As both of his squadmembers trudged through the snow towards him, Levi turned to notice them, his steel eyes piercing them with fierce intensity. "What the hell are you two doing out here?"

Eren gulped before firmly announcing, "I want to wait for Hanji san....I'm worried about her." 

Levi continued to glare at Eren before Jean piped up, "We all are." 

Levi's glare slowly softened at the two boys before returning his attention back to the treeline, towards the wall where the last guillotine was located. Eren watched the captain's unwavering eyes. They were focused like he'd never seen them before. Almost as if he was afraid to blink. 

"Heichou," Jean offered hesitantly. "I can take charge and look out for everyone if you wanted to go searching for-"

"Shut up," Levi snapped. Jean and Eren looked at each other for a moment anxiously before noticing that they could see a light approaching them in the distance. Their faces perked up when they noticed an approaching horse. Hanji's horse! Her lantern, which was fastened to one of the saddle straps, swayed to and fro as she came closer.

"Hanji San!" They cried in excitement. Hanji pulled her horse just in front of them and launched herself off of it towards Levi. 

"Leeviii!" she cried happily as she flew at him with open arms. 

"Hanji! Wait-Gnk!" Levi let out a sharp grunt as Hanji's body slammed into him with enough force to knock the lantern out of his hand. It fell to the snowy ground and extinguished. Levi, however, stood his ground and caught Hanji. Eren lifted up his lantern so he could provide some light. He immediately blushed when he illuminated the scene before him. Levi and Hanji were wrapped in a tight embrace. Hanji was laughing joyously but Levi had his eyes closed and said nothing, as if savoring the moment. Eren lowered the light immediately and exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Jean. He actually expected Levi to toss her off of him like he would anyone else who tried to pull that stunt with the captain. But Levi continued to hold on to Hanji, even when his attention was redirected to the 2 Scouts before him. 

"Oi," Levi called, causing them to startle to attention. "Don't just stand there like idiots. One of you take Hanji's horse to the stables. The other, help me with the door."

Both of them cried in agreement. Jean was the first to make his way towards Hanji's horse, so Eren made his way towards the cabin front door. Eren watched in amazement as Levi actually carried Hanji all the way to the doorway. Levi even paused to shift Hanji to ride on his back, piggy-back style. Eren could hear Hanji speaking animatedly to Levi the entire time.

"So, anyway," Eren could catch from Hanji's rambling as both her and Levi grew nearer. "That's how I wound up temporarily turned around."

"Is that so," Levi chimed in. Eren peered up from having his eyes cast downwards in embarrassment. He picked up on Levi's lighthearted manner and his curiosity piqued. He looked up just in time to see Levi pass him, with Hanji on his back. She had a big grin plastered on her face as she hugged him, her eyes closed in content. Levi's lips were upturned in a smile. Eren blushed and immediately cast his eyes back downwards. 

Jean approached soonafter and noticed Eren still holding the door open with his eyes towards the ground. "You didn't have to wait for me, too," he playfully teased. 

"The Captain smiled," Eren admitted. Jean stopped and considered his words.

"Eh? So what," Jean dismissed. "We've seen him smile before."

"Once," Eren argued. "But this time, it seemed...And also, I've never seen them hug before..."

"Come on," Jean urged, prompting Eren to come inside and close the door. "Before we freeze our asses off out here.”

As they entered, Hanji was already sitting down on the couch by the fire warming herself. Levi was sitting on the other side of the couch, watching her. The rest of the squad had greeted Hanji in relief and were talking excitedly around her. Sasha approached the 2 officers with bowls of the prepared stew. "Here you go Hanji San, Levi Heichou."

Hanji gave a bright smile and thanked Sasha. She paused when Levi took his bowl as he quietly thanked Sasha. "Huh? Levi, you haven't eaten yet?"

"Levi Heichou stated he wasn't hungry when asked earlier," Sasha replied. “I think he was too worried about-” She scuttled away immediately as Levi shot her a glare. 

"Levi," Hanji tsked, giving him a sympathetic expression. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Levi turned away from her defiantly and began to shove a spoonful of soup in his mouth. The kids took that as a hint to leave them alone and made their way to their rooms. As Eren stepped out of sight behind one of the walls bordering the living room and the hallway, he paused in curiosity. For a few moments, all he could hear was the sound of spoons hitting the bowls and some occasional slurping of the soup.

"Did you finish the task?" came Levi's voice, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, so we're clear to return in the morning," Hanji's voice replied. 

"You could've waited until the morning too, you know."

"...I guess I didn't consider that at the heat of the moment..."

There was a pause of silence. 

"Again, I'm sorry Levi-"

"Enough, it's fine. Come here"

Eren could hear the couch shift. Levi's voice could be heard in a much softer tone. "Don't be sorry. Just don't...I was so-"

  
Eren began to quietly flee to the bedroom, knowing he was intruding on something very private. However, he thought he heard the sucking/smacking sound of something wet before closing the door. 

* * *

**Mikasa's POV**

"Ugh, it's so crowded in there!" whined Floch. "It's not fair that both Sasha and Mikasa get to get a room all to themselves while the rest of us are crammed together."

Mikasa glared at Floch in annoyance in passing him. It was time for the soldiers to get some rest, since they were to leave back to Headquarters in the morning. Naturally, the male soldiers were to bunk in the same room while the females were to do the same. However, seeing as Mikasa and Sasha were the only 2 females from the 104th, they did have plenty of empty space between them. The males, on the other hand, felt a bit more crammed with Floch, Connie, Eren, Jean, and Armin all together. 

"Quit your whining," Levi grumbled as he passed them, blanket in hand. He was heading towards the living room where he was to sleep on one of the chairs. "Unless you want to sleep outside in the cold...or you can choose to sleep by me." Levi met Mikasa's eye and she had to turn her face to avoid having the captain see her smile. Although he didn't seem the type, Levi had a sense of humor that even Mikasa could appreciate, just not when Eren was the brunt of it. 

Floch stifled before politely declining. "No, no," he sputtered. "I guess it'll be warmer with all of us in the same room!" With that, he scampered off to the room where the boys were to sleep. 

Levi sat on the large couch on the side furthest from the fire. "Alright you guys," he announced. "Go to bed." The remaining soldiers picked themselves off the chairs and floor where they had been settled. 

"We'll be here if you need anything," Hanji added, having appeared and now making her way to the other side of the couch that Levi was on, closest to the fire. "Do both rooms have the fires lit?"

They all agreed and saluted their superior officers before making their way back to their rooms. Mikasa turned curiously to watch both Levi and Hanji cover themselves with their own blankets before curling up in their respective corners. She wondered why they chose to sleep on the same couch together. She figured it was a lot more comfortable than sitting on the wooden single chairs. She considered Armin's words from before about the relationship between the two before entering the room she shared with Sasha. She always wondered if something was going on between the two. But she just didn't know if they were acting on those feelings, or just how far their relationship went. 

It was the middle of the night when Mikasa awoke with a chill. She looked towards the fireplace to find that the fire had died down to just orange embers glowing in the darkness. She could see Sasha shivering in the dim light that was cast throughout the room. Feeling generous, Mikasa stood up to add more wood to the fire. However, there was no more wood next to the fireplace. She cursed to herself. Looks like both her and Sasha forgot to make sure the wood pile was stocked before sleeping. It wasn't a big deal. However, Mikasa had to go through the trouble of grabbing some more wood near the living room fireplace. 

Mikasa quietly opened the wooden door and crept outside. The light from the living room fireplace added enough light for Mikasa to see and make her way through the otherwise dark cabin. She peered into the living room and heard a pair of soft snores and knew both Levi and Hanji were asleep. Doing her best to sneak past them, Mikasa made sure to watch where she stepped until she made it to the woodpile. She grabbed a few logs to last her and Sasha the rest of the evening and bundled them into her arms. 

As she made her way back to her room, she paused to check on her 2 superior officers to make sure that they were still asleep. She paused and nearly dropped the logs when her gaze fell upon the slumbering pair. Levi was asleep, leaning against his armrest on his corner of the couch. However, Hanji was lying across the couch, her head resting on Levi's lap. If it was just that, Mikasa wouldn't have batted an eye, figuring Hanji merely slumped over in her sleep and wound up in that position. However, what made it all the more shocking to her was that one of Levi's arms was resting over Hanji's shoulders, as if he just finished pulling the blanket up over her. Hanji's other arm was outstretched so that her hand and Levi's other hand, whose arm was resting on the armrest, were holding one another. And not just one hand inside the other, their fingers were interlaced too. 

Afraid that either one would wake up to see Mikasa and assume she was just being nosy, she quickly made her way back to her room. Mikasa closed the door behind her as silently as she could muster before heading to the fireplace. She added a few logs and used the nearby poker to position them. As one of the logs cracked from the flames, Sasha groggily stirred. 

"Mikasa?" she croaked. 

"Aah," Mikasa replied. "I was just adding more wood to the fire. Go back to sleep."

Sasha yawned and stretched. She must have noticed the expression that remained on Mikasa's face. "What's the matter?"

"Eh?" 

"Sorry, but your face," Sasha reasoned. "Did something happen?"

"No..." Mikasa hesitated before heading back to her sleeping bag. She settled herself back in comfortably. Then, she looked towards Sasha. "I'm just starting to see why Armin comes up with his assumptions."

"Huh?" Sasha uttered, still sleepy. "What assumptions?"

"Nothing," Mikasa dismissed. "I'm going to sleep now."


	14. Ocean View

A few more months had passed. Wall Maria was soon deemed clear of Titans and people were allowed to move back to the region. The same went for the area of Shiganshina. The Survey Corps had planned their first Expedition beyond the walls in what felt like ages. However, this particular mission was planned with one thing in mind: To see the ocean. Armin has been going on about it and its vastness. Hanji had also read about the ocean in her books and was eager to see if the stories were true. As the Survey Corps, Hanji knew it was their duty to discover what lies beyond the walls and report it back to their people. 

So, one day in the spring, they set off. To their surprise, they didn’t even encounter a single Titan. Well, technically, they did encounter one. But it was no threat to them that they didn’t even pay it no mind. It had been one of the deformed Titans so it couldn’t even walk, let alone drag itself quick enough to even go after them. 

However, it did leave behind a trail where it had dragged itself from. They figured if they followed that trail, they would find where it came from, which according to Dr. Yeager’s journal, should be a steep cliff drop off. And beyond that, the ocean. 

Levi and Hanji led the way until they noticed the large man-made cliff. They looked to Eren, who confirmed, based on his father’s memories that it was the right spot. They carefully made their way to the top and were completely stunned. Just below them and as far as the eye could see was an infinite blue. The sky seemed to merge with the ocean at its furthest point. 

They all stared in awe as they had never seen such a large body of water. Armin turned towards Levi and Hanji, who were still staring out into the horizon in amazement. “Can we?” He asked eagerly. Hanji broke from her trance and nodded. 

“Carefully,” Levi added sternly as they led their horses down to the sandy terrain. 

Once they dismounted their horses, they noticed how much more difficult it was to walk on the sand as each step caused them to sink in a few inches. They all neared the edge of the water and promptly began removing their boots in excitement. Levi grew weary and decided against it. He gave Hanji an apprehensive look, which of course she didn’t even notice. She was too excited for this new discovery that she was practically the first one to throw off her boots and run into the water. 

The entire Survey Corps had rolled up their pant legs and joyously stepped into the cool, clear waters. Many had even tasted the water to make sure it was made up of salt as Armin had said. 

“Whoa!!” Hanji cried, gazing out into the ocean. It seemed even more enormous up close and in the water as they all were. “Is this all really salt water?!” 

Levi remained behind her, making sure she and the others weren’t going to put themselves in any danger. 

Hanji’s attention was suddenly drawn towards something in the water. “Huh?” She cried in excitement, causing Levi to snap his head towards her again. “I see something!” 

“Oi Hanji!” He warned, his anxiety growing more. “Be careful, it might be poisonous!” 

Ignoring his warning, Hanji plunged her hands into the water and retrieved some strange items. She began to cry out excitedly at her findings, and Levi sighed and dropped his head in disdain. “Look Levi!” She cried, turning to show Levi what she found. 

“Tch,” Levi replied. “Must be Titan shit.” 

Hanji laughed, knowing very well that both her and Levi knew that Titans don't defecate. “I don’t think it’s horse poop,” Hanji mused. “It doesn’t smell...” 

The kids continued to splash and play in the water. Armin and Mikasa were both expressing their joy at having finally found the ocean. Levi's gaze flicked towards Hanji before looking out at the water once more. "But I have to admit...the view's not bad."

Despite the happy atmosphere, Eren was not partaking in the festive nature. He told them that he used to think that beyond the ocean was freedom. But he was wrong. Beyond the ocean lies their enemies. Once they’re gone, then they would possibly be free. 

The others watched him grimly, but it was immediately vanquished when the beauty and wonder of the ocean overtook them once more. Levi’s gaze wandered from the ocean to Hanji. He continued to watch her as her attention was still fixated on the ocean before her. Her wind was blowing in the warm breeze and Levi couldn’t help but feel his breath catch in his throat. 

She turned to him and smiled, causing him to look away quickly. “Come on Levi,” Hanji urged. “Get in the water.” 

“No thanks,” Levi replied firmly. “I’m not touching that shit.” 

Hanji shrugged and went to go put the things she found in her saddlebag on her horse. 

“Oi!” He cried. “You’re taking that back with you?!” 

“Of course!” She answered. “It’s for science!” 

Levi was about to protest again when he noticed the strange way she was looking at him. 

“What?” He asked, hesitantly. She approached him slowly at first. “Seriously, Hanji,” he said. “What are you doing?” He began to back away from her when Hanji charged at him at full speed. He extended his arms and caught Hanji as she ran into him. He braced himself as she began to push with every ounce of strength she had. “Oi, stop it!” He growled, not even budging an inch in the sand. “I don’t want to touch that disgusting water!” 

Hanji sighed and sulked away. Levi glared at her, following her with his eyes. His stomach did a little flip of guilt, seeing her upset at him. But he really didn’t want to touch the ocean water just yet. 

Hanji had wandered over to the 104th squad, who were still playing in the sea. With her back turned towards Levi, she gave the kids a purposeful look. “Oi,” she said quietly but loud enough to get their attention. “I’m about to call for help,” she explained. “But don’t bother. I’m trying to get this one in the water,” she indicated behind herself towards Levi. The others nodded, hiding their smiles. Hanji walked away from them to give herself plenty of space. 

“Hanji!” Levi’s voice warned sternly. “Don’t wander off too far!” 

Hanji ignored him, knowing it would make him upset and took a few more steps. She squatted down and began to stick her hands in the water to grab at some sea shells. From the corner of her eye, she could see Levi beginning to pace back and forth nervously, all the while watching her. 

Hanji smiled and plopped down in the water. “Ow!” She cried. “I’m stuck!! Something’s got me!!” She began flailing in the water and looked towards Levi. 

A look of fear crossed his face as he cast a quick glance towards the 104th, who were too far away. “Hanji san!” They cried, doing their best to feign concern. 

“Tch, Dammit Hanji, I told you!” Levi snarled angrily as he bolted towards her, not even bothering to remove his boots as he splashed through the water. As he approached her, he was about to draw his blades to help cut whatever had caught Hanji when she suddenly started laughing. He felt a cold sensation run through his blood as relief washed over him. But now he realized that she had tricked him. He looked towards the others and noticed that they were giggling. _Dammit, they were in on it too,_ Levi thought. Getting angry, he glared at Hanji, who was starting to stand up. “Sorry Levi,” she said in between breaths. “I just wanted you to get in the water.” 

Levi continued to glare at her as she stood before him. With one arm. he shoved her, sending her falling back into the water on her butt. As he was about to storm away, Hanji lunged forward and grasped at his legs, locking them together and sending Levi plummeting into the water face-first. 

As Hanji let go, Levi immediately ripped himself from the salty water sputtering and cursing. He cast a death glare at Hanji who was still sitting in the water. However, some seaweed had tangled itself in her hair. She looked ridiculous. Feeling his anger melt, he growled, “I hate you so much.” 

“No you don’t,” she retorted, attempting to pull the seaweed out of her hair. Levi approached her, gripped one end of the seaweed, and yanked it away, tossing it several feet splashing back into the ocean. As Hanji clutched at her now sore head, Levi gripped her by her shirt and yanked her up. With their faces close, Levi’s sharp eyes bore into Hanji’s. From afar, it looked as if he was about to scold her. However, Hanji recognized that look. It was soft, his eyes betraying his scowl. “You’re everything to me,” he whispered so only she could hear. He pushed her away but still close enough so only she could hear him. “You’ll receive your punishment later.” 

“Ooh,” Hanji answered. “Don’t you dare tease me.” 

Levi rolled his eyes and continued muttering curses as he dragged himself back to shore, drenched and defeated, his boots squelching with each step. He grabbed the blanket tied to his horse and stormed off to a spot to set it down and began to remove his boots. He sat down on the blanket, hoping to dry himself in the sun. After carefully removing his boots, he set them aside and continued to keep watch on the 104th squad and his beloved commander. He thought to himself that it was nice to see Hanji regaining her sense of humor and playfulness back. _My goofy girl,_ thought Levi affectionately. 

Soonafter, everyone became tired and were all now sitting atop their blankets in the sand, attempting to dry off. Hanji had set her blanket next to Levi’s and was about to sit down when Levi stood up to snatch her towel away. He began to rigorously dry her hair. “You are soaking wet,” Levi chastised. Hanji laughed heartily as Levi continued to manhandle her head and hair. He lowered his voice. “Had enough of giving the kids a view of your wet shirt?” 

“No one’s making a fuss,” Hanji assured. A towel thrown to her face was his response as he plopped back down on his blanket. Hanji went to go deposit some more items into her satchel as Levi called over his shoulder to her, “And would you stop bringing back samples?!” 

Hanji returned with a picnic basket. Herself and the others packed themselves lunch for the trip. She sat next to Levi and began sharing the food since she packed for the both of them. 

“You’re right Armin...Mikasa,” Eren informed his friends, watching Captain Levi and Hanji. “The Captain and Hanji San are really close,” he looked at his 2 childhood companions. “Like us...only...” he paused to think. “Different somehow.” 

Mikasa and Armin shared a quick glance but said nothing. “Judging by their time served in the Survey Corps,” Armin commented. “I’d say they’ve known each other as long as we have with one another.” 

“They may not be childhood friends, like us,” Mikasa agreed. “But they still share an obvious bond of friendship.” 

“Yeah,” Eren nodded while taking another glance at his 2 superiors. Hanji was offering a cherry tomato from their salad towards Levi. She smiled brightly at him as he gave her a hesitant look. Then, he relented and opened his mouth as she popped it inside. Levi blushed slightly, turning away. He caught Eren’s eye and scowled. “Oi, what are you looking at brat?” 

“N-nothing Heicho!” Eren stammered and snapped his head away. 

Levi gave an exasperated sigh before looking out towards the horizon, thinking about Eren’s words. “So, if our enemies are out there...” he began. “How are we supposed to fight?” 

Hanji joined his gaze into the ocean. “Let ‘em come to us,” she declared. She looked at Levi with determination before looking back towards the 104th. “We've got 2 Titan Shifters on our side now. We’ll be ready for them.” 

"I'll stay by your side," Levi affirmed, causing Hanji to blush, but beam at him. 

“I know you will,” Hanji answered. She smiled at Levi tenderly. “I want to kiss you right now.” 

Levi grew embarrassed, muttering, “It's getting late. We should get ready to head back.” He let his hand drift softly away to brush his fingers casually against hers. Hanji glanced at Levi and noticed his slight smile and sideways glance he was giving her. 

Hanji grinned in return and looked towards what remained of the 104th. Despite their small size, she felt no uncertainty towards the future. With Levi at her side, giving her the encouragement that she needed, she knew that they would be able to handle whatever life threw at them next. 

“Thanks Levi,” she whispered softly. 

“Anytime,” he replied. After a brief pause, he added, "Save your kisses for later. You'll need them for what I have planned for you."

Hanji chuckled before reaching towards Levi but he grasped her hand. He made a quick glance towards the kids to make sure nobody was watching them. Then, he pulled Hanji's hand towards his lips and placed a tender kiss on her palm before allowing her to softly caress his cheek. Their eyes met and held each other’s gaze lovingly before breaking the physical contact to stare out into the ocean's beauty once more. 

"Let's come back here again," Levi suggested. "Just you and me."

"Alright," Hanji agreed. "Before we initiate any military plans to come out here, we'll return. Just us."

"Promise?" Levi teased. 

"Only if you promise to get your butt in the water willingly next time." Hanji retorted.

Levi smiled and nodded, once again staring out towards the horizon and the soon-to-be-setting sun.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's it! This concludes the story! I hope you enjoyed it! It took me a long time to finally get this thing posted, mostly due to procrastination, but also I had to reread the manga to verify some story facts. Also, I had to rewatch some of the anime to brush up on their speech mannerisms and "in-character" personalities. I do have some more Levihan writings planned, but probably some shorter stories. In the meantime, I still look forward to the newly released chapters of the manga and the final anime season! Again, thank you much for taking the time to read my story!


End file.
